Don's Blog On Top of the World I 10-4-18

This is my last Colorado Blog which I have put into parts for successful downloading.  On a perfect August day my friend  Ken, and my son Lee and I hiked on the Top of the World. Starting at the Alpine Visitors Center on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park we hiked to the Mount Ida peneplain and on to Milner Pass on the Continental Divide.

I have always loved that Trail Ridge Road which is the continuation of US Route 34 that comes from Chicago on its way west and passes a few blocks from my childhood home on Dover Street in La Grange, Illinois.

From the parking lot we hiked down the trail at Fall River Pass which is one mile west of the highest point on 

Trail Ridge Road and four miles east of the Continental Divide at Milner Pass.

Two aspects of the trail which are noteworthy.  It starts a above timberline AND it goes downhill.

Since I am a tundra lover it is rare to be able to start a hike on the tundra. The trail follows the old Fall River Road as it heads for Grand Lake. There are several small lakes along the way. We are headed towards the hill beyond the lake in the picture below so we can reach the Mount Ida peneplain.

The spectacular vistas are quietly enthralling. You can see we are now below timberline with theNever Summer Range straight ahead of us.

We arrive at unheralded Forest Canyon Pass. Later last summer (2018) there was a wild fire in Forest Canyon down to our left. It was soon contained. We have descended almost 500 feet.