Beyond Boulder

We’ve added a new hike to Beyond Boulder!  Ouzel Falls, part of Rocky Mountain National Park!  

Just in time for the hot, sunny days of July and August, Beyond Boulder has added two hikes that not only provide great views of the Front Range, but also great shade along the way.  Check out the City of Boulder’s newest trail, Lion’s Lair, as either a very manageable out and back to the top of Mt. Sanitas, or combined with Mt. Sanitas Ridge Trail as an intermediate loop.  Hike on!

https://kevin-kinnamon.squarespace.com/lions-lair/

Think of the terms conservationist and naturalist and there’s one person that will undoubtably pop into any nature lover’s mind: John Muir.  The founder of the Sierra Club and the man responsible for fueling the flames of Teddy Roosevelt’s dreams of land preservation is aptly named “The Father of our National Parks”.  His efforts toward saving our lands were significant in the formation of multiple National Parks including Yosemite, Mt. Rainier, Grand Canyon, Sequoia, and Petrified Forest.  This year marks the 100th anniversary of Muir’s death, December 24, 1914.

On the way back from Steamboat yesterday Linda and I decided to take the scenic route through Rocky Mountain National Park instead of fighting the summer Sunday parking lot called I-70.  It’s a beautiful drive that enters the park at the west entrance at Grand Lake, traverses the park via Trail Ridge Road, and exits the east entrance at Estes Park.  Trail Ridge is one of the most breathtaking roads in the US, both with its views of the Rockies and the precipitous, unprotected drops for those who happen to steer off the road while sightseeing instead of driving.  Within the park boundaries it crosses the Continential Divide while rising to 12,183’ near the Lava Cliffs and Iceberg Pass.  As part of your entrance fee to the park you are provided with a map of RMNP and I noticed on the cover that next year is the 100th anniversary of the founding of RMNP, on January 26, 1915.  One month and two days AFTER the death of John Muir.  

"The grandest character in national park history and nature literature is John Muir. He has written the great drama of the outdoors."  — Enos Mills, in a memorial to John Muir

So, how is John Muir associated with the founding of Rocky Mountain National Park?  Enter Enos Mills.  Mills at age 14 left his parents and Kansas moving to live with family in Estes Park due to serious health issues and quickly fell in love with the Rocky Mountains.  The Colorado air seemed to quickly heal him, and by 15 Mills had climbed Long’s Peak.   Mills feel in love with the mountain, deciding to settle in the area, building his own log cabin over two summers.  At 19 Mills traveled to the Pacific Coast and one day while walking on the beach accidentally ran into none other than John Muir.  They became long and fast friends, with John teaching Enos about the importance of conservation.  Mills took Muir’s education to heart, buying his family’s farm at the base of Long’s Peak and turning it into the Long’s Peak Inn.  He began to give guided hikes up Long’s and quickly became a voice of conservation for the Rockies, writing and lecturing about the importance of preserving the land for future generations.  In early 1915 his efforts paid off when Congress created Rocky Mountain National Park.  The Denver Post called him “The Father of Rocky Mountain National Park.”

May we present...  Moose and...  ROCKY!!!!!

Hike on!

Welcome to Boulder Hiking!  Hike on!