2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 3)

So ... as you know if you've been following along on this blog, I've been posting Fathers' Day photos recently.

If you have not been following along and are interested, check out 2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 1) and 2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 2).

Now, I'm posting the finale, Part 3.

We got up Sunday morning and the boys made me pancakes for breakfast. Then we packed up the camp.

2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 2)

A couple days ago I posted 2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 1), and I have more photos from that trip.

After the hike on Part 1, we decided that it was too early to go back to the campground, so we decided to drive up Trail Ridge Road, which is the main road running through the park 48 miles from Estes Park to Grand Lake.

 

2025 Fathers' Day Photos (Part 1)

Fathers' Day was this past weekend.

We hardly go camping anymore. I actually suspect that I'm the only one who actually likes camping and the rest of the family only tolerates it to make me happy.

So, over the past few years, we pretty much only go camping on Fathers' Day weekend.

Oh well. At least I get to go once a year, and at least my family loves me enough to make me happy.

And ... this past weekend, we went up to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) for the weekend, and camped in the Aspenglen Campground.

Here are some photos of our trip .... (and I'm planning on posting more in a couple of days)

 

Fathers' Day 2021 in RMNP (Part 2)

As I mentioned in Fathers' Day 2021 in RMNP (Part 1), we went camping in Rocky Mountain National Park over Fathers' Day weekend.

On Saturday, we drove up Trail Ridge Road and enjoyed the mountain views.

Fathers' Day 2021 in RMNP (Part 1)

Like most Fathers' Days, we went camping as a family again this year. This year, we went to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).

I love camping and I'm glad that even though the kids are getting bigger, they still seem (for the most part) to enjoy going with me.

Happy Fathers' Day to me!

Here are some pictures from this weekend ...

Memorial Weekend in Estes Park Part 3

If you follow this blog, you realize that I was in Estes Park over Memorial Day Weekend.

See

Memorial Weekend in Estes Park Part 1

And

Memorial Weekend in Estes Park Part 2

It was awesome to get away to the wilderness for a few days.

On Monday, before anyone else was up, I went for a quick morning hike.

Here are some pictures:

Memorial Weekend in Estes Park Part 2

Rocky Mountain National Park is always fun.

We decided to stay in Estes Park over Memorial Day Weekend, and obviously ... when in Estes Park, we had to spend some time in RMNP.

May has been particularly snowy in Colorado, and Trail Ridge Road was closed, but we could spend time on the East side of the park.

On Sunday, we found a RMNP trail accessable from Estes Park (as opposed to going through any of the drive-through entrances).

Gem Lake was the name of the trail. We started late morning, had lunch by the lake, and then hiked back down.

Here are some pictures from this hike (Part 2) ...

Memorial Weekend in Estes Park Part 1

Rocky Mountain National Park is always fun.

We decided to stay in Estes Park over Memorial Day Weekend, and obviously ... when in Estes Park, we had to spend some time in RMNP.

May has been particularly snowy in Colorado, and Trail Ridge Road was closed, but we could spend time on the East side of the park.

On Saturday, we drove up to Estes Park and then took a shuttle bus into the park.

We ate lunch at the Park and Ride that the bus brought us to and decided to start our hike up the Bierstadt Lake Trail .. which starts at the Park and Ride.

Here are some pictures from this hike ...

RMNP Photos

We went camping again this Fathers' Day Weekend.

Here are some pictures:

Weekend Camping and RMNP Photos

Well, as you may remember from yesterday's Weekend Camping and Kayaking Photos, we went camping over Father's Day Weekend.

Day 1 was kayaking ... and I showed you those photos already. (Weekend Camping and Kayaking Photos)

Day 2 was spent in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Here are Day 2 and 3 pictures....

The first part of the day Saturday was spent hiking along the Colorado River ...

June in RMNP Part 2

It is my sister's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mrs. Bluefield.


Well, I told you in June in RMNP Part 1 to expect more pictures ... and here they are ...

Our second full day was one of hiking in the lower parts of the park, close to our camp site.

We started out down the Fern Lake Trail, on our way to Fern Falls.

June in RMNP Part 1

This past weekend, the Sheppy family went camping in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).

Just as we usually do, we stayed in the Moraine Park Campground. It is a pretty good campground for family car-camping. There are lots of rocks to climb and great views to see. It is a fun place to stay.

One of the awesome parts is the view of Long's Peak. My pictures never do it justice, but I still take one just about every time we are in the park...

September Camping in RMNP

For quite awhile, we went camping in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) every year, but over the past few we have not been. Earlier this summer, our youngest child told us that he wanted to go camping there. My wife went online and was unable to get a spot reserved until mid-September, this past weekend.

When you commit yourself to camping in mid-September in Colorado, especially above 8,000 feet,  you are taking a risk. Weather may be awesome that time of year. Weather may be miserable. Last Friday in the Denver area it was miserable. I was worried but the Sheppy family doesn't let a little cloudy cold rain / snow mist affect our weekend plans. We had campsite reservations and we were going.

Memorial Weekend Camping

This past weekend was Memorial Day Weekend, so of course we had to go camping. We camped in Rocky Mountain National Park just as we have for the past several Memorial Day Weekends. I guess we are getting predictable in our old age.

Tyler and Connor set up all the camp fires, collecting pine cones and pine needles, crumpling up paper, and setting up the teepee style wood formations. Personally, I prefer the criss-cross style formation, but the kids did what they wanted to do.

And, as you can see, the fires turned out well. (You can at least see this one. You'll have to trust me on the ones we did not photograph).

We got a new canopy this year (you can see it in the picture above over the picnic table). It is much easier to set up than the old one. This one can stand on its own whereas the old one attached twine to the poles and then to stakes. It was impossible to set up with less than three people. I really like the new one.

And, it did come in useful this weekend a couple times by keeping rain off us.

Saturday started out cloudy, but the sun came up around the time we were done cleaning up from breakfast and it was a very nice day by the time we had packed our lunch.

We started our "day hike" from the campsite. We went down to the Cub Lake trail.

I put "hike" in quotes because we really didn't go very far. There were lots of rocks to climb, so we would go a little ways down the trail and then wait while the boys climbed and eventually came back down to go to a little farther until the next climbing opportunity.

To be honest, I got exhausted just watching them.

We had lunch on some rocks along the trail. The afternoon got a bit cloudy and we started heading back along the trail, waiting for the kids to climb every few feet again on the return.

We got quite a bit of rain Saturday evening and a bunch into the night, but with the nice new canopy and the awesome campfires the boys helped make, we were pretty comfortable.

Sunday was about the same. It started out cloudy, but the sun came out around the time we had cleaned up from breakfast.

We had to pack up to head home, but we did spend the first half of the day in the park.

Of course, there were a bunch of rocks to climb close to our campsite, so that is what we did right after everything was packed into the minivan.

It is sort of hard to tell, but the picture just above and to the right and below are all pretty high. Mommy got nervous with the boys climbing so high.

The picture to the right and the one below show the awesome view of Long's Peak that we got from our campsite. Unfortunately neither of these photos do anything close to justice to what it actually looked like.

And, after we left the campsite, we headed up to watch the boys some more climbing rocks by the waterfall at the alluvial fan.

We ended up eating a late lunch at the Estes Park Brewery and then heading home.

At home, we had awesome rib-eye steaks for dinner and of course were able to relax and know that we still had Monday off.

It was a great weekend.

RMNP Camping

I meant to go camping Memorial Day Weekend, but waited too long to get a decent reservation. Back before kids, that would not matter, but now-a-days, I do not trust being able to just find a first - come - first - serve campsite. So, we decided to wait until the weekend after Memorial Day Weekend to do our camping. As it turned out, my procrastination was a good thing. The weather was much better when we went than it was over the Memorial Day weekend. Just another example of my Semi-Charmed kind of life.
Our camping trip was to Rocky Mountain Nation Park. Again. We had alot of fun. I really liked the campsite we got this time, and will try to get this one or one of them real close next time we come here.
Isn't the picture of the hugging boys cute? It makes Daddy happy to see the boys get along.

Anyway, I hope you like the pictures. It was really pretty up there, and the pictures really don't do it justice. As I type this, I just finished watching the Pens beat the evil Red-Wings to force a game seven. As it turns out, I will not be able to watch game seven live, so don't tell me what happens. I'm sort of watching Magic vs. Lakers right now too. Hockey is so much more exciting to watch than basketball. I really don't understand why hockey is not a more popular T.V. sport here in America.

Anyway. Go Pens. Sorry I can't help them out Friday. I'll do what I can through the DVR on Sunday.

RMNP

We went camping this weekend up in Rocky Mountain National Park. The weather was less than ideal, but I am still glad we went camping. I just wish the weather would have cooperated a bit more.

Because of the weather I got to use our little tent heater. This is the first time we have used it out of need. I tried it out once simply to test it. Friday night (actually Saturday morning) it was cold enough that I fired it up out of concern for the kids' comfort. They told me the next day that they were warm enough all night in their sleeping bags, so I guess it was not absolutely necessary.

We also drove into town for breakfast Saturday and coming back did as many indoor things as we could. We spent a long time in the visitors center and the "Moraine Park Museum". Afternoon was actually decent. I went for a hike while Connor took his nap and Tracy and Tyler did stuff around the campsite.

Luckily Sunday was nice enough that the whole family could hike together. Connor was on my back most of the way, but Tyler hiked almost 5 miles round trip. We went to Cub Lake which is a very popular hike starting close to our campsite. It took us about 6 hours with a really long lunch and a big rest at the lake. It definitely took a large portion of the day. Connor got his nap in the kid-carrier which does not seem at all comfortable, but he did not seem to mind.

My legs are pretty sore from the two hikes. Most of the soreness comes from carrying a somewhat large 3 year old on my back up and down mountainous terrain for several miles. I still think he weighs a bit less than my backpacking pack, but not a whole lot less. I skipped my workout night last night to watch the cup finals game last night, but if I were not so sore I probably would have at least gone for a little workout.

I also got to try out the new camping stove that I got for Christmas. Sunday morning was just boiling water for oat meal and coffee. My little old camping stove was fine for boiling water. But Sunday I made sausage and pancakes. My old stove just sucked at anything like that. The new one ROCKS. It has a nice big griddle that fits over all three burners and is the perfect size for cooking multiple things. Perfect for pancakes and sausage. I was really really happy with the new stove and how nice the pancakes turned out. It makes me wonder why I tolerated the old one so long. Well... The reason is actually obvious; I am cheap. I never would have spent money on this myself so it is one of those awesome gifts. Thanks Tracy (Tracy never reads this so she will not be getting a big head).

Apparently there was "bear activity" in our campground the first night we were there (the really cold and windy night). One of the rangers came by in the morning to remind us not to keep food or any other nice smelling things in the tent. Of course, when we checked in we got the same talk as we were in "bear country". I am not sure I see the difference between there having been a bear in the camp and there potentially being a bear in the camp. Either way, it is a bad idea to keep food in the tent. What is sad is that the Ranger probably convinced some people to be more careful just by telling people there actually was a bear. I would venture to guess that usually when a bear goes through a campground, no one notices. So, being more careful just because someone noticed seems ridiculous to me.

Anyway, once again I was disappointed to miss seeing the bear.

We did see a bunch of Wapiti (Elk). A large number of them had on collars with antennas .... Presumably transmitters. It takes away from the thrill when the wild animal has a man-made collar on.

I also saw a rather large coyote slinking through the campground in the dark. Well, I am assuming it was a coyote because it was way too big to be a fox and the only other choice would be a small wolf. It also could have been a ghost - canine for all I know. I have been seeing a lot of coyotes recently. They wander around our neighborhood in the mornings and evenings.

Anyway... I am glad we went camping. I am looking forward to the next trip of the summer.

14ers

Bierstadt & Evans

This past weekend, I did it. I climbed to the top of Mt. Bierstadt and then Mt. Evans. While not an easy hike, and while several times I felt like I would not make it, the climb was very rewarding. My legs were extremely sore the next day and the day after and even a little bit today.

Now, I am daydreaming about doing Long's Peak. Derry, the guy I was planning on hiking / climbing with, does not have the same open dates to do it as I do, so it is looking like we might not get to do it this year. But, I am thinking about just doing it without him. I might ask Brannan (the guy who went with me up Bierstadt & Evans), or I might even try to do it on my own. I might back-pack up to the Goblin Forest back-country sites (which is about 1.5 miles up the Long's Peak trail-head) on Friday and then take off early Saturday morning.

Maybe this can be both my climb up Long's Peak and my solo-Backpacking trip (see Time Flies). Of course, climbing Long's Peak may not be real smart. Anyway, in case I decide I want to do this, here are some pages that might help:

Backcountry camping guide: http://www.nps.gov/romo/visit/park/camp/guide.html

Backcountry Trip Planning Worksheet: http://www.nps.gov/romo/downloads/campingpdfs/Tripplanningworksheet.pdf

Designated Backcountry camp-sites in RMNP: http://www.nps.gov/romo/visit/park/camp/campsites/designated.html

Just a miscellaneous Denver Post article about Long's Peak: http://denverpost.com/search/ci_2900903

Note... the fact that my legs got so tired (and started to cramp) on the sawtooth between Bierstadt and Evans scares me a bit. I also came much closer to running out of water than I am comfortable with. So, here are some changes I think I need to make:

1. More Water... I always bring a lot, but I am thinking I need more. Also, just in case, I think I am going to get some water-purification pills. If I back-pack up to Goblin Forest, I'll have my water filter anyway. The thing is, though, there is not a lot of water to be gotten up above tree - line. By the time I get back down to the water, I'm close enough to the end, that I might not need it.
2. Polyester shirt as my lower layer (instead of cotton).
3. Banana chips as part of my food (my King Soopers did not have any for this last trip... I usually bring some).
4. Take Calcium / Magnesium / Vitamin E / Potassium supplements the days before the hike (I have read recently that this will help with leg cramps).
5. Work out harder. Weights in the back pack on the tread-mill. Higher resistance on the cross - trainer. I hope to carry Tyler in the Kelty carrier a few times before the Long's Peak hike. Should I weight train my legs?

Now, if I can just plan a weekend to do this.