Rocky Mountain National Park - Camping Weekend
During the last weekend in September of 2018, we tent camped in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) during elk bugling season. It had been about seven or eight years since we camped the last time and it brought back fond memories of camping with the kids. The fall colors were past their peak, but still provided nice scenery.
Our family tent seemed rather large for just the two of us, but gave us room to set up our new camping toilet (Cleanwaste Portable Toilet w/ 1 Waste Kit -paid link) inside the tent. It was nice to not have to go out into the cold and dark to walk over to the bath house in the middle of the night. The Poo Powder of the Cleanwaste Toilet did its job as we did not notice any smells. We also liked the small size of the Cleanwaste Toilet and the convenience of being able to throw the bag of waste into the regular trash.
We arrived at the Moraine Park Campground inside RMNP Friday evening with plenty of daylight left to set up our tent. Right Buddy (RB) even had time to walk down to Fern Lake Road to listen to the evening ritual of bull elks bugling and to snap a few pictures. Mid September to mid October is the elk rut when the bull elks round up their harems of elk cows. Their loud bugles are used to establish their dominance over other males and to attract the females (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk).
On Saturday, we took a long hike. Left Buddy (LB) just had hernia surgery a few weeks before, so we weren’t sure how well he would hold up for a hike. So we started down Fern Lake Trail which is pretty flat to the Pool and make a decision from there. The Pool is where the trail crosses the Big Thompson river and has a group of large rocks to sit on, which is a popular place to stop for a snack and to enjoy the water rushing by. After we took a load off and had our fill of the surrounding views, LB was still feeling pretty good, so we headed up Cub Lake Trail which branches off at the Pool and is not as steep as the rest of Fern Lake Trail.
Cub Lake Trail led us through a large burned-out area and eventually to Cub Lake before looping back around to the Cub Lake Trailhead along Fern Lake Road. LB seemed to handle the 750 foot elevation gain over six miles just fine. The blackened tree trunks provided a nice contrast to the few aspen trees that had not yet dropped their bright golden leaves.
Cub Lake was a great spot for lunch. We found a shady spot along the lakeshore to watch the ducks swimming around the lily pads in the water. As with most of the spots in the NP, it didn’t take long for the chipmunks to notice there was food around and came over to try to get their share. We appreciated the entertainment value of the chipmunks despite having to guard our food. It seemed a little selfish not to share with such a small animal, but we didn’t want to contribute to the chipmunks becoming dependent on humans and it is against park rules to feed the wildlife.
By the time we finished the hike and walked back to our campsite, there was still plenty of daylight left, so, after putting away our backpacks, we decided to walk over to the park shuttle stop and take a ride. The free park shuttle bus runs along Fern Lake Road and Bear Lake Road with quite a few stops along the way. We rode over to Hollowell Park where we got off to enjoy the view at the Hollowell Park Trailhead. There was a magpie on the ground that did not fly away as we approached. It looked like it only had one leg and we were not sure it could fly, so we kept our distance, not wanting to stress the bird out. After RB had her fill of snapping pictures, we hoped back on the next shuttle back to the Moraine Park Campground.
There is something about the simplicity of camping and it’s connection to nature and the outdoors that is very relaxing, despite the added work of putting up and taking down a tent, having to walk to the restroom, and cooking outside without the conveniences of a kitchen, like running water. However, we are looking forward to getting our VanDOit adventure van, which will remove some of the inconveniences while still preserving the simplicity and connection to nature.
(RB)