Sheldon (Shana's nephew) and I ventured out on a hiking expedition to the Rocky Mountain National Park (on July 3rd) visiting such places as Granite Falls and Big Meadows. We also traveled on the Old Fall River Road, which existed prior to Trail Ridge Road that most visitors drive. The hike to Granite Falls through Big Meadows was 5.1 miles roundtrip. Before the hike, Sheldon was very animated about the chance to see Moose and Elk up close (he wanted to cary the 5-10 pound backpack and soon realized this was too much to carry), but he did not grasp the concept of a 10.2 mile hike. The path to Big Meadows took us 45 minutes to complete (1.8 miles) and ended with a beautiful panorama of Big Meadows. Unfortunately, the hike began with cloudy skies and Mother Nature decided to rain on us about 15 minutes into the hike! Great Stuff!! Sheldon spotted our 1st moose at Big Meadows, who was liesurely grazing in the distance. From Big Meadows, we started hiking toward Granite Falls and were told by several fellow hikers that there were a group of Moose a few hundred yards ahead. We spotted the moose, there were three, and took some photos. It was here that I became aware that Sheldon was afraid that the wildlife was going to attack and eat him (he had been carrying a large stick and had stuffed rocks in his pocket for protection).
We made it to Granite Falls by mid-afternoon; a little damp from the rain. Sheldon had been complaining about the hike for about an hour (and voiced his concerns about becoming a meal) and was very glad to reach our destination. We devoured our food and played in the nice "cool" mountain water for about 30 minutes before heading back. The return hike went fairly quickly according to Sheldon. Before we reached our vehicle, we stumbled upon a mother moose and her young calf, which was a pleasant climax to our long day in the Rock Mountain National Park.--Chris
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