mountains Archives ~ Page 5 of 5 ~ Rambling ranger

November 28, 2019November 29, 2019

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #73 – COLD

I used to embrace the cold. I worked ski resorts in Colorado for 15 years. For ten of those years, I worked at the top of the mountain, at 11,000 feet. I’ve seen some savage storms, and brutal cold.

I spent 10 winters in Alaska. Five of those winters were in the remote Interior rural community of McCarthy. I watched the frost creep up the nails on the inside of the door of the cabin my first winter there, and marveled at the cold, colder than anything I had ever experienced.

The coldest temperature I’ve ever seen was 53 degrees below zero. That’s cold, so cold my thermometer didn’t go that low. I had to call a neighbor with a better thermometer to find out just exactly how cold it was!

Richardson Highway, Alaska — I used to embrace the cold when I spent my winters in Alaska.

I USED TO embrace the cold. Then I learned to drive and bought a car. Now I’m a snowbird.

I didn’t get a driver’s license until I was 50. I didn’t want to be part of the problem. I was worried about my carbon footprint long before the term “carbon footprint” was ever coined. I rode bikes, took buses, and lived in communities where you didn’t need a car to get by.

Kluane National Park — I’m OK with snow, just not on the road.

But in order to get a job promotion with the Park Service, I had to get a driver’s license. It was a prerequisite for the job.

I can definitely correlate my aversion to cold and winter with when I acquired a vehicle. I just don’t want to drive icy roads in nasty weather!

AlCan Highway, Canada — This is why I don’t do winter anymore!

I’ve decided I’ve seen enough cold. There’s a lot of beautiful places to see in this world, and they’re not ALL cold & snowy in the winter.

But there are things about winter, and the cold, that I miss. The beauty. The serenity. The quiet. Sun sparkling on the snow. Snowshoeing. Most of all, the northern lights.

So, occasionally, I treat myself to the tiniest taste of winter. I just make sure I have an escape route or the luxury of waiting for a good weather window so I can get out without driving those icy roads.

I needed to travel across practically the entire state of Colorado this past weekend as I transitioned from visiting my family to my next housesitting gig. I was lucky. I hit the perfect weather window, with a big storm in the mountains Wednesday to Friday, then a bluebird weekend for travel before the next front came through on Monday.

Great Sand Dunes National Park — On my way down from visiting my family in Denver, I stopped at the Great Sand Dunes. It was cold. The wind was bitter. But it was beautiful.

I’m in southwestern Colorado now, Durango to be exact. Although I am in the mountains, the desert and relief from snowy roads is less than an hour away.

Durango isn’t big, but it is a bit bigger than I usually like my towns to be. I’ve gotten a little lost a time or two. I’m surprised at how much I enjoy it. Although the desert is close, Durango is definitely a mountain town, vertical topography rising in every direction. The wild is still close. Driving down an urban street in the heart of town, you see deer strolling the sidewalks like they own them. I like that.

Million Dollar Highway — Durango is beautiful.

It’s snowing on this Thanksgiving day, but it’s a gentle snowfall, not a raging blizzard. It isn’t even sticking to the driveway, although the frosting on the trees is very pretty. It IS cold, though. BRRRRRR!!

Since it is Thanksgiving, I’m pondering gratitude and the many things I am grateful for. Throughout this year I’ve been more consciously grateful, on a day-to-day basis, than ever before in my life. I’m thankful for my many blessings.

Keystone Canyon, Alaska — COLD waterfall

I’m thankful for my family and the time I’ve been able to spend with them recently. I’m thankful that my mother, although quite fragile at 91, is still with us. I’m thankful for my home in McCarthy and the amazing community there that I am privileged to be a part of. I’m thankful for work that I enjoy and that I feel is important.

I’m thankful for my many friends, wherever they are in this wide world. I’m thankful for the freedom that allows me to travel and see more of this amazing planet we all share. I’m thankful that my little Toyota truck is still going strong at 285,000 miles and I hope it continues to treat me right.

San Juan Mountains — Just a tiny taste of cold…

I’m thankful I have food to eat and clothes to keep me warm. I’m thankful for wine and chocolate – oh, and raspberries. Can’t forget raspberries.

I’m thankful for the shelter that keeps me out of the cold. And I’m thankful for the cold – the little bit of cold I’m getting a taste of right now – because it will make the warmth that much sweeter later. What I’m especially thankful for, though, on this snowy Thanksgiving weekend, is that I don’t have to drive any treacherous icy roads today!

Thanks, Tina, for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Cold.

October 31, 2019November 15, 2022

Colorado’s Peak-to-Peak Highway – A Blast From My Past

The Peak-to-Peak Highway is one of my favorite Colorado scenic byways. My recent sojourn down this beautiful road was an incredible trip down memory lane, scenic but also big on nostalgia.

The Peak-to-Peak is the closest access to Colorado’s alpine for folks living in the northwest Denver/Boulder metro area. Since that’s where I grew up, this road was once my favorite way into the high country.

Estes Park, CO — You can sometimes catch this kind of action going on in downtown Estes Park.

Rocky Mountain National Park

The route starts (or ends) in Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. I spent 2 summers there in my early twenties, the first mountain town I ever lived in.

In a landscape created by the rubble left behind by ancient glaciers, lumpy ridges and random boulders painted with lichens form the bones of the land. Stately Ponderosa pines and small groves of aspen adorn huge, park-like meadows, superb habitat for herds of elk. Tromping the trails whenever I had a chance, this country crept deep into my soul as I made the transformation from a city kid to a mountain woman.

Shortly after passing Lily Lake south of Estes, there’s a turnoff to reach the Long’s Peak trailhead. Long’s Peak is the northernmost fourteener (mountain over 14,000 ft.). in Colorado It was the first fourteener I ever climbed.

It’s a scramble, not a trail, to get to the top. The climb turned into an epic adventure when we were caught near the summit by a quick-moving thunderstorm. Torrents of hail felt like ball bearings under our feet as we charged down the slippery scree-covered slope. I watched a bolt of lightning break off a chunk of the mountain the size of a small house and send it crashing down on the slope below. Intense.

The Peak-to-Peak provides access to many other alpine adventures. Trails in the Wild Basin area near Allenspark travel along creeks filled with cascading waterfalls to pristine lakes. Climb higher, above the treeline, and immerse yourself in a tapestry of tiny tundra wildflowers.

Peak-to-Peak Highway — Walk by waterfalls in Wild Basin

Indian Peaks Wilderness

The Indian Peaks Wilderness lies south of Rocky Mountain National Park, just a few miles west of the highway. I remember the challenges of my first week-long backpacking trip as I revisit Brainard Lake and gaze at the peaks and passes beyond.

When I hiked the Continental Divide one summer a few years later, the Indian Peaks Wilderness was one of my favorite sections. I recall how we spent the best day of the entire trip here, up near Fourth of July Mine and Mt. Neva.

Indian Peaks Wilderness Area — Brainard Lake gateway to the Indian Peaks

The Towns

At the foot of the Indian Peaks, you’ll find a smattering of old mining camps, towns like Ward, Jamestown, and Eldora, ghost towns turned hippie havens. The friendliest and funkiest of them all is Nederland.

It’s definitely a hippie town. It’s the home of the Carousel of Happiness. Nederland was the third community to legalize pot in Colorado, just after Denver and Breckenridge. The locals call themselves Nedheads.

Nederland celebrates the eclectic and just plain weird. Case in point – the town hosts Frozen Dead Guys Days every March. This festival celebrates the attempt by a local resident to practice a little homemade crionics, stashing his grandfather in a storage shed with a bunch of dry ice, holding out for some future date when the miracles of science could bring him back to life. Some of the fun things to do in Nederland during the festival include coffin races, frozen t-shirt contests, and a polar plunge.

Just past Nederland is Rollinsville. This old railroad town once had a fun bar, the Stage Stop (now a restaurant under new owners). I loved dancing on the timeworn hardwood floor to name acts like Tab Benoit.

Rollinsville also reminds me of my first backpacking disaster. I took my little sister and brother with me to teach them the joys of backpacking. Crossing a creek on an old log, I proceeded to teach them how to prevent hypothermia after the log snapped in two and dumped me in the creek. Then it started to snow. Eventually, the snow turned to rain and came down in torrents. It didn’t stop. In imminent danger of being stranded by flooding, we bailed and hiked out to Rollinsville to beg a ride home.

The Peak-to-Peak is one of the most popular roads in the state when the aspens turn gold. Signs on the highway warn leaf-lookers that they are not allowed to stop in the middle of the road when taking pictures of the fall colors.

The scenic byway ends at the town of Black Hawk. There aren’t many memories left for me here, though. When I was growing up, Black Hawk and neighboring Central City were practically ghost towns, rich in history but with no economic base to support their residents. The towns sponsored a referendum to allow legalized gambling to create jobs and provide some tax revenue for the county. Now there is an economic base. It seems like a new casino opens up every other week here. The facades of a few of the buildings are all that remain of the old towns.

Although the Peak-to-Peak may not hold as many memories for you as it does me, it is still well worth the travel. Views of the Continental Divide, golden aspen groves, access to wilderness and a host of delightful communities are just a few of the treasures you will find along the way.

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019

Autumn is the Time for Love – If You Have Antlers

Autumn is my favorite time of year to visit the big, iconic national parks that adorn the crest of the Rockies – Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain. Fat and happy after a fruitful summer, with sleek new winter coats, this is the prime time of year for most animals.

Bighorn Sheep in Rocky Mountain National Park — Moose and elk aren’t the only animals you might see!

I love the beauty of the golden aspens, accented by fresh snow on the high peaks and cerulean blue skies. I love the crisp clean feel of the mountain breezes and the gurgling music of the dancing creeks. But most of all, I love listening to the elk sing.

From the time the shadows fall over the valleys until just after sunrise, the herds hang out in the big meadows in these national parks, a perfect setting for the upcoming wilderness drama.

Bull Moose Grand Teton National park — The moose are calling.

The elk are bugling. The moose are calling. It’s the rut, mating season for ungulates. Challenges are issued, battles fought. If you’re lucky, you just might get a chance to witness the pageant.

The biggest bull elk gather harems, whole herds of cows, and take on all challenges for the exclusive right to mate. The cows are not always willing to be corralled, though. This keeps the bull pretty busy.

Sometimes, while the dominant bull is otherwise occupied either battling a challenger or herding a recalcitrant cow, some sneaky upstart might grab the opportunity to sneak in a quickie. All this makes for some very entertaining wildlife watching.

Cow elk grazing in Yellowstone National Park — It’s nice just to watch the elk being elk.

If you plan on visiting the Rocky Mountain national parks during the rut, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) GIVE THEM SOME SPACE!!! Have a little respect. Remember that wild animals are dangerous. Especially at this time of year, when too much testosterone has these guys feeling really combative. And they’re a lot bigger than you are. Bull moose have been known to charge freight trains. A woman was gored by a bull elk in Estes Park just last week.

Testy bull elk in Rocky Mountain National Park — Don’t mess with this guy – he’ll kick your ass!

Although these animals are not fearful because they’re not hunted within national park boundaries, they are not tame. This is not a zoo. There is no invisible fence or moat in between you and the animal if they decide you’ve gotten on their last nerve. I see more ignorant, oblivious people out there every year. Do not approach wildlife. Give them a break and give them their space!

Mule Deer stag crossing road in Rocky Mountain National Park — Wildlife crossing – Be aware!

2) Drive slow. You will be more likely to see animals camouflaged by their surroundings. More importantly, you’ll be less likely to hit an animal unexpectantly crashing out onto the road during this low light time of day. You’ll be more likely to notice an animal about to cross, affording better chances to catch that lucky shot.

Close-up of elk calf in Rocky Mountain National Park — I got this shot by using my car as a blind.

3) Your car can make a great blind. If the wildlife is on or near the road, stay in your car. Don’t stress the animal and endanger your safety. See # 1.

Man approaching elk way too closely in Yellowstone National Park — Don’t be like this guy – Back off!

4) Timing is important. You have to meet them where (and when) they are. The early bird catches the worm, or the shot, here. When the sun is out, elk fade into the forest or bed down in the tall grass. All the action happens in the evening and early morning hours.

Elk in Glacier National Park — Calves play at jousting while a bull looks on.

5) Arrive early, stay late. There is more to be gained from this experience than just a few photos. Watch. Listen. Don’t interfere. Stay a little longer. It will be medicine for your soul.

Bull elk in Rocky Mountain National Park

Want to hear the elk bugling but you’re nowhere near the Rockies? Check out these videos on The Nature Conservancy’s blog, Weird Green Science.

February 21, 2019

Nature – Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #33

Thanks, Patti, for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. Nature – now that’s a topic that’s near and dear to my heart! What a broad category! Where do I begin?

Patti may be a city girl, but I’m a wilderness woman, and my whole life revolves around nature. From the mountains

to the grasslands,

Mule's Ears and Lupine at Steamboat Rock State Park — Steamboat Rock State Park, WA

to the ocean,

Pinos Point, California — Watching the waves in Monterey Bay

from the forests

near the Navarro River, California — Mendocino National Forest

to the desert.

Saguaro cover a hill near Tucson, AZ — Tucson Mountain Park

Immersing yourself in nature means taking the time to observe the little details

Cape Disapointment State Park, WA — Leaf. Lichen and Wood

as well as the big picture.

Badwater Road, Death Valley — Death Valley National Park

Water is such an integral part of nature.

Merriman Falls, Washington — Water is life.

Nature is life – from the tallest trees

Mendocino National Forest, CA — Redwoods

to the tiniest flower.

Bigelow Monkeyflower — Very tall belly flower! Bigelow Mimulus

Nature is animals, from the very big

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery — Bull Elephant Seal

to the very small

Beetle on Desert Sage — The bug is more beautful than the flower!

and all shapes and sizes in between,

Pronghorn at Flaming Gorge, Utah — Pronghorn Antelope

from the multitudes

Elkhorn Slough, California — Willits feeding on the tidal flats.

to each unique individual.

Bird silhouette in the sunset — Snowy Egret at San Simeon

Nature- It will save your soul and make you whole.

Athabasca River, Jasper National Park — Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

February 6, 2019

Lens-Artists Challenge – Landscapes

I usually only answer the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge every other week, but Amy’s theme choice, Landscapes, was irresistible. I LOVE landscape photography!

Water is big in landscapes. Sometimes a landscape includes a bit of the sea…

Recently I’ve been spending my time on the central California Coast.

Big Sur coastline, central California — Garripata State Park

Reflections are always a big hit in landscape photography.

I need vertical topography to charge my soul…

Grand Teton National Park — Fall in the Tetons

Alaska is all about big landscapes. My favorite seasons are summer

and fall.

Dwarf Birch near the Denali Highway — Denali Highway

And then there’s the desert. Talk about a diversity of landscapes! Whether it’s dunes…

Death Valley National Park, California — Mesquite Sand Dunes, Death Valley

or flowers….

Desert Gold in Death Valley — Death Valley National Park

or interesting rocks.

TeePee Rocks, Grand Staircase, Utah — Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

What a beautiful world we live in!

October 25, 2018October 26, 2018

Big is Beautiful

Mt. Blackburn, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska

I’ve just discovered the WordPress Lens Artist Photo Challenge. Tina Schell, whose blog is called Travels and Trifles, came up with this week’s theme, “Big is Beautiful”.

How appropriate that I found it this week, I can’t help but think, as big is beautiful has defined my life in many ways.

For one thing, I’m a big girl. I keep telling myself big is beautiful, but I don’t always believe it.

More importantly though, big is beautiful has defined my life geographically, as a rambling ranger, for many years. After all, I live in Alaska, the biggest state in the Union.

Thorofare Pass, Denali National Park — Maybe vast is a better word than big to define Alaska.

I even worked for a few years in Denali National Park, home to the biggest mountain in North America.

North face of Denali, Denali National Park — Denali

I live in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the biggest national park in the U.S. by far. It’s the size of Switzerland with Yellowstone and Yosemite thrown in.

Bonanza Ridge, Wrangell St. Elias National park — Hiking in the Wrangells

My favorite geologic feature in this fabulous park is the Stairway Icefall, one of the tallest icefalls in North America, if not the world. It rises 7,000 feet in under 2 miles.

Stairway Icefall, Wrangell St. Elias National Park — The view of Stairway Icefall from my front yard – I’m a lucky girl.

I work in the “ghost town” of Kennecott. The Kennecott Mill just may be the tallest wooden building in North America. It’s big.

Kennecott National Historic Landmark — The Kennecott Mill, is a big, TALL building

I spent 8 winters as a ranger in Death Valley National Park. At 3.2 million acres, it is the largest national park in the contiguous United States.

Black Mountains, Death Valley National Park — Don’t let the name scare you, Death Valley is big and beautiful. Just don’t go in the summer!

Currently I’m spending time in the Pacific Northwest, home to big trees.

Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park — Old Growth Maple

The place where I’m staying is only a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean, the biggest of them all!

Klaloch Beach, Olympic National Park — Pacific Ocean Sunset

Live Large! Go Big!

Tag: mountains

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #73 – COLD

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