In the one day I spent in Rocky Mountain National Park, I saw some of the most fantastic things I’ve ever seen. I saw deer, elk, moose, and the most adorable woodland creatures called marmots! Not to mention the views were beyond anything I’ve seen before. If you’ve ever driven through the mountains, you know that some of those switchbacks and narrow parts in the road can be terrifying. I’m pretty sure my mom was white-knuckled the entire time, and she was riding in the back seat! The scary roads were worth it for the beautiful views. There is no feeling quite like the one you get when you look down at the massive world below you.
One of the many crazy things about the mountains is the difference in the air when you get to higher altitudes. I am NOT JOKING about this one, we had to buy canned oxygen for my little brother so he wouldn’t be miserable. I ended up with a headache and was completely exhausted when we got back to a somewhat normal altitude. It sounds odd to say, but 11,000 feet in the air is like being in a whole other world. If you haven’t ever experienced altitude sickness, I learned quickly that the best thing you can do is slow your breathing and try to get into a state of relaxation. This was extremely difficult for me because feeling sick and lightheaded just made me freak out even more! Eventually, I got used to it and was okay, but I’m not lying when I say it was difficult to even walk around with the air that thin.
Driving through later in the day brought an entirely different experience than driving mid-afternoon. Animals seem to come completely out of nowhere when it starts to get towards dinner time. We saw a herd of what must’ve been over a hundred elk just chillin’ on the side of the road! This included mamas, babies, dads, and all the elk in between! I had never seen elk before, so seeing them in such huge numbers was a sight like no other. I also got to see a mama and baby moose wandering around. They were chill with all of us tourist folk taking photos, and just went about their business while the rest of us “ooo’d” and “ahhh’d” like crazy people. The most photogenic, however, had to have been the deer. I was able to get about 10 feet away from a full-grown female and male deer on our way out of the park for some awesome photos. The male even posed for me!
The best thing about being in the mountains for me was the ability to look out and see everything. I felt like I was on top of the world looking out at the range beyond me. I also realized how truly tiny I am compared to the world that I live in. This realization, oddly, comforted me and made me feel like a piece of something important. The privilege to be a small piece in God’s puzzle gave me a sense of worth, and a joyful feeling. I am forever thankful for the ways that He shows me why he created what he did. He has a use for all of those mountains, just like he has a use for me.
Kati's Journeys 