1 [[!meta title="Colorado"]]
2 [[!meta date="2008-08-07 02:52:12"]]
3 Oh, I should explain the lack of postings over the last two weeks.
4 During the first part, I was developing some explainatory graphs to
5 test my tension balancing implementation (fun, fun :p), and during the
6 second part, I was hanging out with my Mom, Aunt, sister, and neice in
7 Estes Park, CO. Mom moved out there a few years back, and it's a very
8 nice place to go visit.
10 The cinematic highlight was a 2-day 1-night hike in [Rocky Mtn Nat'l
11 Park](http://www.nps.gov/romo). I stayed in [Hayden
12 Gorge](http://www.physics.drexel.edu/~wking/personal/pics/2008_rmnp/15-campsite_hayden_gorge.jpg),
13 and this was my first explicit-bushwhacking trip. It's maybe 8 miles
14 in from Bear Lake, which took me around 11 hours, and 3 miles out to
15 Trail Ridge Road which took about 10 hours :p. Take a look at [this
16 deceptivly non-topographic
17 map](http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/upload/detailedmap.pdf).
18 The hike up to Trail Ridge from the bottom of Forest Canyon is up a
19 mile in a mile, and it's about a third each of pushing through dense
20 forest, bouldering, and open hiking. Took me about 7 hours, and I
21 ripped the sleeve off my shirt :p. Had a good time though :). I've
22 zipped up the [other pictures](http://www.physics.drexel.edu/~wking/personal/pics/2008_rmnp/hike.zip) if you're interested.
24 Besides hiking, I cooked with Mom, talked about people's views on
25 homosexuality with my sister, defended my stuff from my niece, hung
26 out with my Aunt and the dogs, and learned a lot of family history :).