Rocky Mountain NP 2005
July 23rd through August 7th
Trip Reports
Only one trip report for Chiefshead Peak is written.
Vacation Overview
This was our 5th visit to RMNP. Once again, we stayed at the Swiftcurrent Lodge in Estes Park. This time our visit was for 13 days, plenty of time for a wide variety of hikes.
Day 1 - Saturday, July 23rd - On the Road
We got started about 9:15am, and followed our usual route south to Des Moines, then west on I-80. There was a bit of a construction delay as we approached Council Bluffs, but we still made it to North Platte by 8:00pm for our usual stop over.
Day 2 - Sunday, July 24th - Arrival
We were on the road at 7:00am looking forward to our first stop of the day at the Sydney Perkins for our traditional heading-west breakfast. We rolled into Estes Park about 12:15pm. After a quick stop at the Swiftcurrent, we headed to town to stock up on groceries. Then we unpacked and settled into our cabin, still planning our first hike.
Day 3 - Monday, July 25th - Estes Cone
Our first hike was one we had done three years ago. That time we started from the Longs Peak trail head (TH). On this climb, we started from the Lily Lake TH at about 6:15am. It's a bit closer to the cabin, and unlike Longs Peak TH, you're pretty much guaranteed a parking spot at that time of the morning. From Lily Lake, the summit is about 0.4 miles farther and 700+ft higher, so the climb has a little more to it. And, I think overall it's a nicer hike. It was partly cloudy when we started, but by the time we reached the summit the continental divide was shrouded in rain clouds. On the way down it was overcast. Sandy and Ali returned via the storm pass trail down to Bear Lake Road, shuttled to Tuxedo Junction, and walked back to the cabin. I returned to Lily Lake and drove back.
Day 4 - Tuesday, July 26th - Odessa Loop and Spruce Lake
Day 5 - Wednesday, July 27th - Sky Pond and a Side Trip
Day 6 - Thursday, July 28th - Fairchild and Mummy
Day 7 - Friday, July 29th - Frozen Lake
Day 8 - Saturday, July 30th - Deer Mountain
Day 9 - Sunday, July 31st - Chiefshead
Day 10 - Monday, August 1st - Bluebird Lake
Day 11 - Tuesday, August 2nd - Half Mountain
Day 12 - Wednesday, August 3rd - Blue Lake
Day 13 - Thursday, August 4th - Mount Ida (abandoned)
Day 14 - Friday, August 5th - Mount Ida (success)
Day 15 - Saturday, August 6th - Sprague Lake and Departure
Day 16 - Sunday, August 7th - Home