![]() ![]() The 112-year-old resort (which inspired Stephen King to write The Shining) dates from an era when doctors prescribed mountain sojourns as a cure-all. Rewarding, too: Less than halfway up, we score panoramic views of Estes Park and the red-roofed Stanley, the hotel we stayed in last night. Rather than beelining it for the higher terrain, we’ve decided to acclimate with a four-mile hike lower down-and at around 8,000 feet, the staircase trail to Gem Lake is still plenty challenging. It helps that our bodies are still on East Coast time-“We’ve got a natural two-hour head start!” Dana, a natural early riser, points out-and I’m feeling pleasantly alert as we pull into a trailhead parking lot just outside of town and begin striding up Lumpy Ridge, a stunted appendage of the main range that awaits us within Rocky Mountain National Park. ![]() ![]() We’re at Kind Coffee, one of the few places in Estes Park that opens before 7 a.m., amid a crowd that’s a mix of wisecracking old-timers and fit younger types in trail runners.Īs much as I enjoy a laid-back kaffeeklatsch, we’ve got a lot more on our plates today. We need fuel-not merely a quick caffeine fix-for our first full day in Colorado, so this morning starts with peanut butter toast for my wife, Dana, and a hefty egg-and-potato burrito with homemade salsa for me. Rocky Mountain National Park / Photo: Aaron Colussi Day 1 Traversing Rocky Mountain National Park and strolling through Vail ![]()
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