2002 Trip

Our 2002 trip was a mixed bag. Flo and Alli couldn't get off work, so it was just Bob and Andy getting on the Amtrak train and heading for Colorado. (Amtrak schedules are for entertainment purposes only, and not to be taken seriously.) We did some great hiking, Andy got to add a lot of new lakes to his park total, but a fire near the park on our last night put a damper on things. I guess after doing Long's Peak last year, everything else seems pretty tame.

It was a great week for first time visitors, but probably gave some dangerous false impressions to people who will come back in future years to hike. Estes is suffering through it's worst drought in 100 years. The usual early afternoon thunderstorms never materialized, on most days there weren't even any clouds. This made for great hiking with no storms to beat, so people could get away with starting long hikes late in the day. This could be a problem for people coming back in a normal year.

We did find a new favorite restaurant. The Mountain Home Cafe in Upper Stanley Village serves up a lot of great food for a great price.