Tracey:
Well, we’re even less enamored of Grand Lake now than we were yesterday - no decent food to be found (not that we were expecting another Lucille’s but how hard is it to make a decent egg sandwich?). But the scenery is gorgeous and that’s what brought us here. We hiked 11 miles today, from one edge of Grand Lake to the top of a mountain where another lake awaited. The trail meandered along a river, past waterfalls, across ridges, over rocky ledges and we ended the hike at Lone Pine Lake. The best part was a section that went through a meadow that was so pristine it felt prehistoric; we were told that moose frequent it, but a brontosaurus wouldn’t have seemed out of place. Saw plenty of bear tracks and scat, but no actual bear.
Not to sound like one of those goofy movies they show at the Parks’ visitor centers, but I have to say that I’ve been very aware since coming out here of what a gift the national park system is to this country. We were over five miles into our hike today, up very steep terrain and there were beautifully built log bridges and steps of cut rock where you’d least expect it. I said “Man, the amount of work it took to build and maintain these trails…” and Dave said, “I was just thinking the same thing.” All along the way we’ve seen people that you’d never expect to see this far out in nature (well, not as far out as this trail was, but on the easier hikes)-- from people in their 80’s, to families with infants, women all done up and looking like they were going to a Pilates class in Manhattan, older guys who you’d guess have never been off the farm in Kansas, and all fitness levels. It’s great to see nature bringing them all together!
