Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Old Postcard Wednesday--Longs Peak from Nymph Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado




According to the opinion expressed below, "Nymph Lake is nothing spectacular . . ."
Now I don't know when the shot for this old postcard was taken, but it looks pretty spectacular to me! Someone thought highly enough of the place at the time to create a postcard in its honor. It sounds like the Dream Lake Trail is a much-used trail these days and it saddens me to think that a little jewel like this might have been compromised, or spoiled altogether.
Nymph / Dream / Emerald Lakes (0.5 to Nymph, 1.1 to Dream, 1.9 to Emerald)
This is the most popular trail in the park and I hesitate to list it for fear of adding to the traffic mess that can be found on the average summer day trying to reach the trailhead, located at the very end of Bear Lake Road. It is, however, too beautiful a day hike to omit and makes a nice short hike for those with children.
All the rules listed for hiking to Alberta Falls and The Loch apply here also. Consider riding the free shuttle bus to the trailhead to help alleviate parking problems. Otherwise, plan for an early start.
Nymph Lake is nothing spectacular, but Dream Lake well lives up to its name. The trail gets rough and steep in sections from Dream up to Emerald, but shouldn't pose many problems to those in even moderate shape. Scan the cliffs along the southern wall of the canyon at Emerald Lake to see rock climbers challenging the sheer slopes of Hallett Peak.
Although the trail stops at Emerald Lake, consider circling the lake along the south side and scrambling further up the valley 1.5 miles to the Pool of Jade--a nice lunch stop for those wanting a more quiet venue than the teeming throngs of Emerald Lake. As a bonus for your efforts, you'll be able to get a glimpse of Tyndall Glacier.
The above information was provided by Randal W. Horobik.

John Denver naturally comes to mind when the topic covers the wonders of nature found in the Rockies. Interestingly, he came to my mind on Tuesday when I saw clips of the new recording of We Are the World with 100 great artists of this time in recording history. Back 25 years ago, back when the original We Are the World was recorded (I have the album), I remember reports that it broke John Denver's heart to not be among the great artists who first sang the song. Upon doing a bit of research about his not being a participant I found a really interesting blog post from June 2008 titled We Were the World... If you are at all interested in the background of the We Are the World phenomenon it is a post worth reading. The blog author mentions that "... John Denver, who had been actively campaigning against world hunger in the 1980s, had offered to participate in the recording, but was turned down." To me that is absolutely confounding...and truly sad.




The person who created this video did a nice job in coordinating photos and lyrics. The recording sounds to me like a later rendition, not the original.

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6 comments:

Batteson.Ind said...

One of my favourite songs.. EVER!.. I love john denvers simple, slightly cheesy, nicely sentimental songs... there has to be room for this sort of music in the world. I find him an intrigueing character too, I believe he was quite a tortured soul...
I also love the tribute to charlie haiku... beautiful... :-)

Anonymous said...

An amazing photo!
One day I will get to the Rockies.
So interested that you were married in NY.

Sight Seer said...

Great Pictures! I hiked up (part) of Longs Peak when I was out in the Rocki Mountain State Park doing some camping and riding my motorcycle. Thinking of going again this year!.

Lydia said...

the watercats- I swear, I think you wrote one of the best short commentaries about John Denver and his music...EVER! I absolutely agree with you.
Thanks for your comment about the charlie poem. :)

ewix- Thanks for visiting!
I love the shot too. The Rockies are spectacular. I guess I never will camp up there ...
Yes, the wedding at the Muni Bldg was just what we wanted. We flew there without family/friends and did our own thing. Actually, my grandmother's vintage postcard of the Municipal Building was my first issue of "Old Postcard Wednesday." (CLICK) :)

Sight Seer- I believe this is your first visit to my blog and I'm happy to have you here and thank you for your comment, especially since it was such an exciting comment! I wonder if you've posted photos of your camping trip...I'll be over to see. :)

Melinda said...

I really do love your old postcard Wednesdays. I try to stop by on Wed but sometimes, cannot get here until Thursday.

That card was ABSOLUTELY gorgeous too! It reminds me a lot of a very special place called Emerald Lake, about 15 miles from where I grew up, in Bozeman, MT. Pristine beauty--this is where you feel really close to that higher power.

Take care,

Melinda

Lydia said...

Melinda~ You are consistent in your good wishes surrounding Old Postcard Wednesdays, and I thank you!
Each time you mention Bozeman I feel such a twinge to visit that place, where I have cousins who would probably be happy to show me around. :)

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