Rocky Mountain National Park

In which Moominmama snaps photos of cooperative critters and comes face to face with the latest presidential order on a bathroom door...

Rocky Mountain National Park has been a national park since 1915, and the animals here are accustomed to its protections. Moominmama can't find any other reason to explain how she got a photo of this yellow-bellied marmot! 

Of all the wonderful things I see in our national parks forests and preserves, wildlife is the hardest thing for me to photograph. Lifting up my phone camera basically guarantees the birds take flight or the critters scamper off. 

But not only did this marmot pause to check me out as I crouched on the trail, a mule deer expressed only minor concern as we crossed paths in my campground this morning.

Moominmama has been doing some spectacular hikes in this national park, which includes snow-capped peaks and alpine tundra. 

One third of the park is above 11.500 feet, where the marmots scurry and elk wander. It can look startlingly barren apart from the spectacular views. But you only need to look closely this time of year to see the incredibly delicate flowers: yellow, fuscia, white or forget-me-not blue, with petals or tiny budded stalks nestled between the moss, lichen and dry grass.

It's not every day that I see fellow tourists crouched over the trail, cameras aimed at the ground! The delicate flowers provide a startling contrast to the epic views when you stand up!

Rocky Mountain National Park is a treat for the senses in part because of the varied ecosystems that are captured in a relatively small area (415 square miles) thanks to the varied elevation.

The hike to Emerald Lake (photo at the bottom of this post) took me into snow and a lake not yet fully free of ice. Yet Sprague Lake, a few miles away, was surrounded by leafed-out plants and bushes, and Ponderosa pine lent a warm piney scent to the summer air.

Despite the variety, the granite mountain peaks tower overhead in almost every direction. I often joke about a lifestyle that allows me to change my backyard every week or two. And this is one helluva backyard!

I came home to Glacier Basin campground yesterday, thrilled by the tiny flowers, the sweeping vistas and friendly marmot I'd found on my hike in the alpine tundra! 

Stopping by the campground bathroom, I noticed a new sign on the door (and rather verbose as campground signs go.) It wasn't until the third point (3) that I had any real clue what this was about. 

It asked visitors to report "any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features."

The sign informed us this had been posted in response of the presidential executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." It provided a web address to make reports.

A quick check of the news online confirmed the order and further explained that the Department of the Interior was now required to investigate whether any of the lands under its purview feature "improper partisan ideology."

It was clear this sign was posted in connection with the presidential initiative and after the natural beauty that had thrilled me, it was jarring reminder of how humans can cock it all up! 

I have been duly impressed with the efforts of our national parks to work with native people for whom the park lands were once home, to speak honestly of forced removals, massacres and clashes with settlers.

In my travels in the south, I learned much about local civil rights struggles. And I fear that this history will be erased, that future visitors will not have an opportunity to learn from our mistakes as a nation. It was a depressing way to end the day. 

It was depressing until I thought about my fellow visitors, the folks exclaiming over the tundra flowers, or encouraging one another up a steep staircase to see a view, the folks who attended a ranger's talk on lichens and moss. They were all curious people, enjoying the vistas, seeking new experiences and new knowledge.

Are these the folks likely to report signage that is "negative" or reflecting "improper partisan ideology?" I'm not sure they are. In fact, maybe, like me, they'll be moved to send a love letter for our national parks and other national lands, the amazing staff, the amazing histories. 

I invite you to join me in logging into go.nps.gov/eo14253. If nothing else, it's an opportunity to demand they restore funding in the budget to programs and staff that protect our national lands and national stories.

As I write this from a public library just outside the park, I hear chants of "No Kings,"  and hear car horns in response to a "honk for democracy!" sign. Estes Park, population 5,800 minus the tourists, has turned out in force with American flags and handmade signs ("GOP WTF?") as part of the national No Kings protest today! I see one local police officer moving between shady trees as he looks on -- about as concerned as that mule deer I met this morning. As it should be. And I feel better.