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Our first full day, and we have just gotten off the shuttle bus from the Park and Ride to the Bear Lake/Dream Lake trailhead. The number of people is amazing.
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Well, it ain't quite solitude. The Park Service estimates that 12,000 people a day in the summer time use this trailhead. Whew.
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Here Steve, Calib (in red) and Hannah (in green) work their way up the route to Nymph Lake.
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Susie and Jaden.
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Boy, all the way to the shores of Nymph Lake, about a mile up the trail. Everyone's hungry, so it must be time for lunch. Left to right are Susie, Steve, Caleb, Erin, Jaden (foreground) and Hannah.
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Hannah and Roger.
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A view of Halett Peak from Nymph Lake. Hard work to keep people out of the photo.
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Above Nymph Lake, at an overlook, the infestation of subsequent tree death from Pine Bark beetles is apparent.
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Susie with a cloud-shrouded Longs Peak in the distance.
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We made it to Dream Lake, all of 1.1 miles up the trail. Thanks to Steve (who forgot his camera this day) for the nice photo.
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One of Steve's artsy photos: nice tree roots.
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Left to right are Hannah, Jaden, Steve and Roger on the shores of Dream Lake.
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Our home base for a few days, one of the larger cottages at Machin's Cabins. This is actually inside the boundary for the Park.
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Hannah playing a flower queen.
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Humming birds kept visiting the feeder.
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In the mornings, Susie and I would get up early to get some "guaranteed exercise" with a quick walk about 1.2 miles on trail to the vicinity of the Moraine Park Visitor Center. Nice lighting some mornings.
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A nice early morning view of high peaks across Moraine Park. Note the beetle killed trees.
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Longs Peak.
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OK, today is a ride up Trail Ridge Road.
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A telephoto view of Longs Peak.
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Much higher, and this is the classic view of square-topped Longs Peak.
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A view of the Never Summer Mountains across the tundra.
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Just on the other side of the Continental Divide, at the Lake Irend Picnic area. Steve, Jaden, Erin, Caleb and Hannah are in the background. Roger must be too stiff from driving to sit normally.
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A nice shot of a Clark's Nutcracker, taken by Steve.
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Elephant Head, growing in the steam bed.
