Friday, September 30, 2011
Estes Park Video
Here is the video from my last trip into Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park. I didn't have alot of good video clips to work with so I pieced what I had from my camera and a cell phone. My male elk imitation is due to the excessive face licking the male and female were exhibiting. At the end of the video, as the background music fades out, you can hear one of the males bugling.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Estes Park and Elk
As warmer seasons begin to fade into winter, I have redoubled my efforts to see Colorado mountain areas before they become buried in snow. One of the places that made Colorado my 'must go to state' is Estes Park. It is located a couple hours drive north of the Denver area. The last time I was there was about a decade ago and it was love at first site. Glorious Rocky mountain scenery and abundant wildlife lit a fire in me that burns even now.
This time around I went up later in the season instead of mid summer like my last visit. I made the trip with my friend Leanne and her son, Jackson. It is Elk mating season and I have video that in some circles would be considered 'elk porn'. Definitely an educational experience watching the mating 'flirting' ritual, which involved a surprising amount of tongue wagging in the air at each other.
Here are some elk on the Estes Park golf course.
We found a few different spots where herds gathered. Interestingly, there would be about 20 females and only on big ol' frisky feeling Male.
And, as before, I was able to get remarkably close. Seems elk are not nearly as skittish as deer.
We were treated to the giant males 'bugling', a high pitch sound that resemble a bugle. All part of the courtship dance.
Here is one big boy attempting to hide from photographers.
Elk wasn't the only wildlife we saw. I saw my first coyote in the wild. He was perfectly colored to match in with the surrounding vegetation.
We also came across the most aggressively demanding chipmunks I have ever seen. They were at the pinnacle of the Rocky Mountain National Park. When I walked to the wall I was accosted by greedy little rodents on speed.
Leanne showed me a very well designed two story cabin built by skiers that was up on the side of a mountain off of an unmarked trail. It was complete with sleeping bags and mattresses. Awesome little find.
And of course, no trip to Estes Park is complete with out checking out the Stanley hotel made famous by the movie 'The Shining'.
It was another great Colorado adventure. I do so love having all of these outdoor activities so close. I will be posting video of this trip soon.
This time around I went up later in the season instead of mid summer like my last visit. I made the trip with my friend Leanne and her son, Jackson. It is Elk mating season and I have video that in some circles would be considered 'elk porn'. Definitely an educational experience watching the mating 'flirting' ritual, which involved a surprising amount of tongue wagging in the air at each other.
Here are some elk on the Estes Park golf course.
And, as before, I was able to get remarkably close. Seems elk are not nearly as skittish as deer.
We were treated to the giant males 'bugling', a high pitch sound that resemble a bugle. All part of the courtship dance.
Here is one big boy attempting to hide from photographers.
Elk wasn't the only wildlife we saw. I saw my first coyote in the wild. He was perfectly colored to match in with the surrounding vegetation.
We also came across the most aggressively demanding chipmunks I have ever seen. They were at the pinnacle of the Rocky Mountain National Park. When I walked to the wall I was accosted by greedy little rodents on speed.
Leanne showed me a very well designed two story cabin built by skiers that was up on the side of a mountain off of an unmarked trail. It was complete with sleeping bags and mattresses. Awesome little find.
And of course, no trip to Estes Park is complete with out checking out the Stanley hotel made famous by the movie 'The Shining'.
It was another great Colorado adventure. I do so love having all of these outdoor activities so close. I will be posting video of this trip soon.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
THE Mount Evans/Echo Lake Video
I have put together this video homage in dedication to the friends that made the trip so much fun. Kelly, Jason, Antonio, Nate and Laura thank you for making this video so stinkin' entertaining. Thanks to Fatboy Slim for giving us the beat.
Note to those not there...
Notice the lack of guard rails going up the mountain in the first half minute of the video.
Notice our surprise finding out that running at high altitude is painful.
Notice how much smiling is going on.
Note to those not there...
Notice the lack of guard rails going up the mountain in the first half minute of the video.
Notice our surprise finding out that running at high altitude is painful.
Notice how much smiling is going on.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Mount Evans Camping videos
As I continue to work on my Masters at the School of Hard Knocks, I keep making videos. I learn from my mistakes. I gots lots to learn. Anyhow, this post is dedicated to the video clips from the great weekend we had at Mount Evans.
Still gotta some work to get the quality down, but us active adventures have to be quick draws with what we have.
Baby mountain goats and family-My camera
An even better video of the mountain goats from Jason's camera.
This is my professional mountain goat call that is guaranteed to bring the goats a runnin'.
This is the beginning of our ascent of Mount Evans from the parking lot. I could not have asked for a better, crazy group of people to go have fun with in the mountains.
Here is our oxygen deprived crew arriving at the summit of Mount Evans.
A complete and edited video will be posted in a day or two of the entire trip.
Still gotta some work to get the quality down, but us active adventures have to be quick draws with what we have.
Baby mountain goats and family-My camera
An even better video of the mountain goats from Jason's camera.
This is my professional mountain goat call that is guaranteed to bring the goats a runnin'.
This is the beginning of our ascent of Mount Evans from the parking lot. I could not have asked for a better, crazy group of people to go have fun with in the mountains.
Here is our oxygen deprived crew arriving at the summit of Mount Evans.
A complete and edited video will be posted in a day or two of the entire trip.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Camping on Mount Evans
I spent my Labor Day weekend camping with friends. It was awesome! Living in Colorado is everything I expected and much more. A spontaneous trip into a mountain landscape so beautiful that people from around the country make it a destination point for vacations. I am so fortunate to be about an hour from truly spectacular outdoor living.
On this particular trip, I rode up with my friend, Kelly. She is such a fun, outgoing personality. It enhanced the camping experience. Then we met up with other incredible people. Jason, Antonio, Nate and Laura are friends I had not previously had the privilege of camping with before. I made new friends, Steven and Renee, as well as Kayla and Greg. There is something about making friendship around a campfire that is unparalleled anywhere else. The lack of phone service prevented outside distractions from interfering with deep bonding. We shared our thoughts and dreams. We had a chance to share a depth of conversation that one rarely finds outside the realm of mountain tops.
Me, Melissa and my Warrior Dash buddy, Matt star watching in the middle of the mountain road.
The first night we joined about 50 other people for a bonfire down by Echo Lake. Bonfire might not be an accurate term, it was an outdoor stone structure with fireplaces in each of the four corners and one bigger one in the center of one wall. It had about 4 picnic tables inside the structure and people milled around snacking and socializing. A few guitars were brought and soon the live music played from one side of the structure. Walks were taken around the lake to take advantage of the lack of light to better view the stars. The stars seemed strangely magnified although we were only about 10,000 feet closer to their light years away.
Sam, Brad, Jason and myself.
Mountain air is always cooler and that is so refreshingly different from the city temperature. The lows were a brisk 40 degrees which helped justify the presence of campfires. My sub zero sleeping bags also proved their worth once again.
On the second night, we drove up Mount Evans, which is a 14'er (over 14,000 ft). The lack of guardrails never fails to instill morbid dread of an over-the-cliff, fiery death. That only excites me in a distorted way. Adrenaline is my drug of choice. On the way up we came across a herd of mountain goats. Regular readers know of my fondness for wildlife in the wild.
I was downright giddy with anticipation as we drove up and back through switchbacks. When we finally could drive no further and had to hike to the summit, a half mile further up, someone had the bright idea to run to the top. We went about a hundred yards before the altitude seared my lungs. Then we walked/ran the rest of the way trying desperately to get to the top before the sun had set completely. We were partially successful. It was my first time being above 14,000 feet in over 5 years. When I post my video pay attention to our exhausted, exhilarated faces on the mountain top.
Kelly and I at the top
Nate and Laura
All of us (Antonio stayed with the car)
We went back down to the campsite feeling elated. Under the cover of darkness, the lack of guardrails and the steep drop offs failed to produce the same terror as the ride up. Good thing too, since now we were in the lane right next to the edge.
Back at the campsite we gathered around the campfire for warmth and conversation. Soon, we began lobbing the camp ax at a tree to test our woodsmanship. Good fun.
I feel the need to mention the food on this camping expedition. It was splendid. Most of the cooking was taken care of by Antonio and his portable gas grill. We has scrambled eggs with cheese, Kielbasa and fresh fruit and breads for breakfast.
Another great time in the Colorado mountains!
On this particular trip, I rode up with my friend, Kelly. She is such a fun, outgoing personality. It enhanced the camping experience. Then we met up with other incredible people. Jason, Antonio, Nate and Laura are friends I had not previously had the privilege of camping with before. I made new friends, Steven and Renee, as well as Kayla and Greg. There is something about making friendship around a campfire that is unparalleled anywhere else. The lack of phone service prevented outside distractions from interfering with deep bonding. We shared our thoughts and dreams. We had a chance to share a depth of conversation that one rarely finds outside the realm of mountain tops.
Me, Melissa and my Warrior Dash buddy, Matt star watching in the middle of the mountain road.
The first night we joined about 50 other people for a bonfire down by Echo Lake. Bonfire might not be an accurate term, it was an outdoor stone structure with fireplaces in each of the four corners and one bigger one in the center of one wall. It had about 4 picnic tables inside the structure and people milled around snacking and socializing. A few guitars were brought and soon the live music played from one side of the structure. Walks were taken around the lake to take advantage of the lack of light to better view the stars. The stars seemed strangely magnified although we were only about 10,000 feet closer to their light years away.
Sam, Brad, Jason and myself.
Mountain air is always cooler and that is so refreshingly different from the city temperature. The lows were a brisk 40 degrees which helped justify the presence of campfires. My sub zero sleeping bags also proved their worth once again.
On the second night, we drove up Mount Evans, which is a 14'er (over 14,000 ft). The lack of guardrails never fails to instill morbid dread of an over-the-cliff, fiery death. That only excites me in a distorted way. Adrenaline is my drug of choice. On the way up we came across a herd of mountain goats. Regular readers know of my fondness for wildlife in the wild.
I was downright giddy with anticipation as we drove up and back through switchbacks. When we finally could drive no further and had to hike to the summit, a half mile further up, someone had the bright idea to run to the top. We went about a hundred yards before the altitude seared my lungs. Then we walked/ran the rest of the way trying desperately to get to the top before the sun had set completely. We were partially successful. It was my first time being above 14,000 feet in over 5 years. When I post my video pay attention to our exhausted, exhilarated faces on the mountain top.
Kelly and I at the top
We went back down to the campsite feeling elated. Under the cover of darkness, the lack of guardrails and the steep drop offs failed to produce the same terror as the ride up. Good thing too, since now we were in the lane right next to the edge.
Back at the campsite we gathered around the campfire for warmth and conversation. Soon, we began lobbing the camp ax at a tree to test our woodsmanship. Good fun.
I feel the need to mention the food on this camping expedition. It was splendid. Most of the cooking was taken care of by Antonio and his portable gas grill. We has scrambled eggs with cheese, Kielbasa and fresh fruit and breads for breakfast.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)