Longs Peak from Rock Cut, Rocky Mountain National Park
Apologies to my faithful readers. I was called out on an unexpected long-day
hike to a very rugged part of
Rocky Mountain National Park to solve a minor crisis. It was a glorious day high among the
peaks, but there was no time to blog. Carrying heavy packs we hiked up and over a steep saddle, snowshoed across an endless, sloppy snowbank, forged marshes and streams, carefully crossed a fresh landslide, and then did it all again (except the big snowbank) in reverse. It was a very long, hard day, but all my limbs are in working order today, although with a bit of complaint, and the
beauty that was spread around us was indescribable. The
alpine tundra was a
flower garden and the
elk were abundant. Six big
bulls stood silhoutted against the sky on a high saddle watching us with great interest, and herds of
cow elk shepherded their young, spotted
calves across the abundant
meadows.
Bull Elk
See more photos of elk and other
Ungulates in the Gallery.
