I woke up early and drove about an hour to RMNP. Without doing any research, I hopped on a trail and started hiking in the Bear Lake area.
The aspen trees were beautiful. I made it out to Odessa and Fern Lake. I believe the hike was about 9 miles or so.
On the way back, I was hiking with my head down and stumbled upon a mama dear and her two babies. They were very curious and eating breakfast. I moved back on the trail and took a few photos until other hikers came along and scared them off.
A volunteer in the park pointed out a few other things I could do in the afternoon and evening. I drove up a dirt road for about an hour, which was great. The Subaru Forester may not win any awards for off-roading, but it’s a great car for the price range.
I also drove up to another visitor center and that’s the part of the park that is a Tundra. It’s weird to see a land without any trees.
It’s also strange that seven hours of driving separate a desert and snow.
I ended the day by going to an area where the volunteer said I would likely find wildlife. Indeed, I found a herd of elk.
