RMNP

Having been on the injured reserve list this entire summer, I have looked at Rocky Mountain National Park in a different way. RMNP means a lot more than just a place to go and climb. When I am healthy and fit, all I want to do is go to my projects and work them into submission. This summer, I have seen “the park” through a non climbing set of eyes.
Hiking up the trail heading to Chaos Canyon, I think to myself what an amazing place rocky is. The climbing is world class and the rock is amazing, but what about all the other things that make the park so impressive? For me, there are so many things that make the park one my favorite places to get away. Not being able to climb, I have been doing some hiking around the park and up to Chaos Canyon. There are so many things I took for granted only because the park was a place that I could go and be a selfish climber. Pushing my own personal limits in climbing requires a selfish approach unfortunately. Usually while hiking up the trail, I would focus on my project’s sequences or try to tap into that focus that for myself, is sometimes required to complete projects that are at my limit. In doing so, I thought I took in the amazing surroundings, but I really wasn’t seeing. Within the almost 1,000 square miles there are 359 miles of hiking trails, some of which are Alberta Falls, Dream Lake, Ouzel Falls, Mills Lake, Cub Lake, The Loch, Flattop Mountain, and Longs Peak. There are about 900 different species of flowers, 60 mountains exceeding 12,000 feet, topping off at 14,259 feet, and 60 species of mammals; more than 280 recorded bird species; six amphibians, including the federally endangered boreal toad; one reptile (the harmless garter snake); 11 species of fish; and countless insects, including a surprisingly large number of butterflies. The park is one of the most amazing places in the world. As a climber who mainly focuses on his goals, (bouldering), sometimes seeing things differently puts other things into perspective. I love climbing and always will, but opening my eyes to seeing what is really out there and I mean what is really out there as far as this earth is extremely refreshing.
Here are some other cool facts that make up RMNP.
Establishment
President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation on 26 Jan 1915 to create Rocky Mountain National Park. In 1976 the natural ecosystems of the park, which represent the Rocky Mountain Biogeographic Province, received recognition through the United Nations "Man and Biosphere" program as an international Biosphere Reserve. The reserve is part of the network of protected samples of the world's major ecosystem types that is devoted to conservation of nature and genetic material and to scientific research in the service of humanity. It provides a standard against which the effects of human impact on the environment can be measured.

Protecting the Rockies
In 1903, F. O. Stanley, inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobile, came to Estes Park for his health. Impressed by the beauty of the valley and grateful for the improvement in his health, he decided to invest his money and his future there. In 1909, he opened the elegant Stanley Hotel, a classic hostelry exemplifying the golden age of touring.
Largely due to Stanley's efforts, the Estes Park Protective and Improvement Association was established to protect local wildflowers and wildlife and to improve roads and trails. "Those who pull flowers up by the roots will be condemned by all worthy people, and also by the Estes Park Protective and Improvement Association," they warned. It was the start of a conservation ethic that has become increasingly important and complex.
Even more important to the future of the area was Enos Mills, who came to the Longs Peak area in 1884 when he was 14 years old. A dedicated naturalist, he wrote eloquent books about the area's natural history. Not long after his arrival, Mills bought the Longs Peak Inn and began conducting local nature trips.
In 1909, Mills first proposed that the area become the nation's tenth national park to preserve the wildlands from inappropriate use. It was his vision that you would arrive here years later to experience the wonderful Rocky Mountain wilderness he knew. "In years to come when I am asleep beneath the pines, thousands of families will find rest and hope in this park," he proclaimed.
Unleashing his diverse talents and inexhaustible energy, he spent several years lecturing across the nation, writing thousands of letters and articles, and lobbying Congress to create a new park that would stretch from the Wyoming border south to Pikes Peak, covering more than 1,000 square miles. Most civic leaders supported the idea, as did the Denver Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Mountain Club. In general, mining, logging, and agricultural interests opposed it. The compromise drafted by James G. Rogers, the first president of the Colorado Mountain Club, was the establishment of a smaller park (358.3 square miles). On January 26, 1915, under President Woodrow Wilson, it was declared Rocky Mountain National Park.
Today, the park stands as a legacy to those pioneers who looked beyond its harvestable resources to its more lasting values.
Size and Visitation
The park has grown to more than 415 square miles. In 1990, it gained an additional 465 acres when Congress approved expansion of the park to include the area known as Lily Lake. The National Park Service, the Conservation Fund, and some diligent legislators successfully halted land development in this area adjacent to the park's boundary. It now is an important buffer zone that helps protect the migratory routes of wildlife in the park.
Visitation - FY 2000Total Recreation Visits - 3,180,889