I would like to start this post by saying that the weather, this season at the Baldpate, has been temperate to say the least. Moving up to altitude, I did not expect the temperature to be so pleasant everyday, but here we are. The days average around 75° while nights remain in the low 60's, and rain comes only about once a week. All of this combines for the perfect summer get away, a place above the heat and away from the crowds. The Baldpate is certainly serves a unique niche for both tourists and Estes Park residents alike. It is hard to understate the advantages of an enchanted mountain retreat as them present themselves in obvious ways to those who visit.
The view of the Estes Park valley from the Baldpate is something that hikers strive for, and yet, we are just a short drive away. In the age of time entry reservations for the gates of Rocky Mountain National Park, Lily Lake, our little sanctuary here next to the Baldpate, has become just a bustling as downtown Estes with cars lining the road from sunup until sundown. It has become nigh impossible to find a secluded place in our modern world, yet just down a short dirt road the Baldpate stands.
Intermittent thunderstorms that tumble eastward off of Long's peak break up the almost monotonous good weather. The thunder rolling and echoing across the valley makes it seem like there is some bigger storm looming, but they never seem to coalesce into any great storm. It is truly a pleasure to see the sheets of rain drift slowly downward over the valley, as thunder shakes the foundations of the Baldpate.
There is nothing quite like sitting in front of a roaring fire on a cool summer night, and that will be my lasting memory of the Baldpate.
Written by Adam Dohn
