Early mornings, waterfalls and mountains… oh my!
A few years ago, my friend Barb and I undertook a snowshoe of epic proportions in Rocky Mountain National Park as we traveled to Dream and Emerald Lakes before going up and over the snow-covered mountains to an extraordinarily windy Lake Haiyaha. From there we bushwhacked our way down to Mills Lake and back to our vehicle - an epic 11+ mile journey, in deep snow, with untracked amounts of vertical gain. This past weekend, we got the opportunity to take on a journey of similar proportions.
On Saturday, July 5th, 2025, at 2:30 am, I departed my apartment to meet up with Barb on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park once again. This time, our goal was to find parking at Glacier Gorge Trailhead before traveling into the mountains beyond Mills Lake. Incredibly, we just managed to land a parking spot upon our arrival at 4am as the parking lot was swarming with people heading out on similarly epic journeys for the holiday weekend. On this day Barb and I covered 14 miles with around 4000 feet of gain. Not a shabby way to spend a Saturday!
Below are some of my most absolute favorite shots from this year so far.
