Where Leave-No-Trace is law Photos and story by Murray Selleck In my younger days I hiked, climbed, skied, and explored many Na onal Parks including North Cascades, Glacier, Olympic, Yellowstone, Crater Lake, the Grand Canyon, and of course, Rocky Mountain Na onal Park. But over the years seeing video of long lines of cars bumper-to-bumper to view elk wore me down. I'd read about far too many incidents of people approaching wildlife believing the Na onal Parks are nothing but pe ng zoos and that had me scratching my head. And, a few years ago, Na onal Park rangers in Yellowstone had to wear face masks not because of COVID but to protect themselves from snowmobile emissions. I let myself believe the parks had become too crazy for me.
snails paced Winnebagos touring Na onal Park roads? Well, it turns out, I do. Recently I was able to reconnect with a life-long friend for a backpacking trip in Rocky Mountain Na onal Park that included some big day hikes. RMNP was the perfect half-way point for us to meet.
For decades I had decided that the only outdoor experience I wanted was in our Na onal Forests and Wilderness Areas. I had let myself believe there was too much of a theme park atmosphere to the Na onal Parks and I wanted nothing to do with it.
We met in Grand Lake on the west side of RMNP and made our way to the Lake Verna Trailhead. As expected, the parking lot was packed. As we began our hike there were lots of folks on the trail. It was busy.
Who needs the long lines, the crowded parking lots, the
Thankfully, a not-so-curious thing happened as we
