Saturday, June 30, 2007
AIS Educators Conference - June 29-30
The AISEA conference is one of the most enjoyable conferences I can imagine. The sessions are wonderfully educational, the people are great, friendly, non-pretentious, and it's like coming to a family reunion. Accounting systems professors from every size college of university imaginable, all meeting to share ideas, discuss problems, compare notes, and enjoy each other's company.
I find it very interesting that so many of James Madison University's accounting professors, both former faculty was well as current faculty, are serving in national leadership positions. There are no fewer than ten JMU accounting faculty who have served and/or are serving as officers, board members, or directors of national organizations, including editor of the most prestigious accounting education journal, president of the national accounting honor society (three different JMU profs, in turn!), national secretary, board member, training conference chair of the national systems educator's association, president of the InfoSys section of the national accounting professor's association, chair of the national research committee of the federation of schools of accountancy, academic director of the national business accountants association, as well as several state-level leadership positions. Our newest hire who starts this coming fall was just elected to the board of directors of the national accounting information systems educator's association, a position I held a couple of years ago. I am proud to be associated with just a great group of faculty members.
Bear Lake Hike -- June 28
Even though I'm posting this Saturday morning, the post refers to a hike I took Thursday, June 28.
On the final day of my vacation, I decided to see how well I've adjusted to the rare air. I've always dreamed of hiking up past Bear Lake, taking the trail to the base of Hallett Peak. The trail guides say there are three gorgeous lakes up there past Bear Lake, each one less than a mile from the next. I figured I'd take this trail and see how far I could get before I ran out of breath.
The day was completely overcast. On the drive up, rainclouds and thunderstorms were threatening from every direction. I stopped at a trailhead -- ironically it was the Storm Pass Trail -- and decided to get in a quick little hike before the storms hit. Luckily, the clouds broke for a couple of minutes and blue sky peeked out, so I got a couple of photos -- two of which you see below -- from this trail. The first two pictures below show the ultimate destination of my "lake" hike: Hallett Peak. Hallett Peak is about eight miles distant in these pictures.
Hallett Peak is the slanted butte in the center of the picture. If you look closely in the saddle to the right of Hallett Peak, you can see Tyndale Glacier, whose meltwater is the source of the lakes, -- including Bear Lake.
By the time I got back down from Storm Pass, it had completely clouded up, and the sun never came out again the rest of the day. But fortunately, it never rained, although it thundered all day long.
I started out by hiking completely around Bear Lake, one of the most picturesque lakes in the park. I felt good. I had a Snickers bar, some Planter's nuts, my inhaler, and a half-gallon of water in my backpack, so I decided to see how far I could make it up the Emerald Lake trail. The trailhead at Bear Lake is about 10,000 feet above sea level. and you climb up to almost 11,000 feet in less than three miles, making it fairly agressive for a 50-year-old pot-bellied gray-haired asthmatic old man. But I made it all the way, and even made it back safely!
Incidentally, Bear Lake (the lower three photos here) is one of the most common pictures seen on Colorado and Rocky Mountain post cards. If you download these pictures and look at them full-screen sized, I think you'll agree with me that they are some of the prettiest pictures I've ever taken. And keep in mind, the day was overcast. Imagine how pretty this lake would be in sunshine!
On the final day of my vacation, I decided to see how well I've adjusted to the rare air. I've always dreamed of hiking up past Bear Lake, taking the trail to the base of Hallett Peak. The trail guides say there are three gorgeous lakes up there past Bear Lake, each one less than a mile from the next. I figured I'd take this trail and see how far I could get before I ran out of breath.
The day was completely overcast. On the drive up, rainclouds and thunderstorms were threatening from every direction. I stopped at a trailhead -- ironically it was the Storm Pass Trail -- and decided to get in a quick little hike before the storms hit. Luckily, the clouds broke for a couple of minutes and blue sky peeked out, so I got a couple of photos -- two of which you see below -- from this trail. The first two pictures below show the ultimate destination of my "lake" hike: Hallett Peak. Hallett Peak is about eight miles distant in these pictures.
Hallett Peak is the slanted butte in the center of the picture. If you look closely in the saddle to the right of Hallett Peak, you can see Tyndale Glacier, whose meltwater is the source of the lakes, -- including Bear Lake.
By the time I got back down from Storm Pass, it had completely clouded up, and the sun never came out again the rest of the day. But fortunately, it never rained, although it thundered all day long.
I started out by hiking completely around Bear Lake, one of the most picturesque lakes in the park. I felt good. I had a Snickers bar, some Planter's nuts, my inhaler, and a half-gallon of water in my backpack, so I decided to see how far I could make it up the Emerald Lake trail. The trailhead at Bear Lake is about 10,000 feet above sea level. and you climb up to almost 11,000 feet in less than three miles, making it fairly agressive for a 50-year-old pot-bellied gray-haired asthmatic old man. But I made it all the way, and even made it back safely!
Incidentally, Bear Lake (the lower three photos here) is one of the most common pictures seen on Colorado and Rocky Mountain post cards. If you download these pictures and look at them full-screen sized, I think you'll agree with me that they are some of the prettiest pictures I've ever taken. And keep in mind, the day was overcast. Imagine how pretty this lake would be in sunshine!
Nymph Lake
Going up the Emerald Lake Trail from Bear Lake is quite a climb. According to the information kiosk at the trail head, you gain almost a thousand feet of elevation going from Bear Lake to Emerald Lake. I decided to see how far I could get. Taking it slow and easy, I made it the entire way, as you can see by the posts below.
Here are a couple of pictures of Nymph Lake, the first lake you encounter on the way up. To get an idea of how huge the trees up here are, look closely at the second picture, using your picture viewer and zoomed to at least 100%. Look closely at the end of the arrow, and see the people standing on the top of the cliff across the lake, and compare the people with the size of the trees.
Here are a couple of pictures of Nymph Lake, the first lake you encounter on the way up. To get an idea of how huge the trees up here are, look closely at the second picture, using your picture viewer and zoomed to at least 100%. Look closely at the end of the arrow, and see the people standing on the top of the cliff across the lake, and compare the people with the size of the trees.
Snow and Dream Lake
About a half mile further up the trail past Nymph Lake I began seeing snow drifts and snowbanks. Although I was in short sleeves, the temperature was still comfortable. Dream Lake is the next lake in the chain. It is long and thin, and the trail skirts the northern edge. I got a couple of great pictures of the Greenback Cutthroat trout which abound in Dream Lake.
Tree Line and Emerald Lake
About three-quarters of a mile past Dream Lake, I reached the edge of the tree line, as seen by the pictures below. At the end of the Emerald Lake Trail is.... Emerald Lake. This lake is right at the tree line, approximately 11,000 feet above sea level. It is located at the base of the top cliffs of Hallett Peak. The top of the peak is at 12,713 feet above sea level, and is right on the other side of the lake, so close that I can't get it and the lake in the same picture frame.
There is snow up here. Although you can't see it in the pictures, Tyndale Glacier is right above the lake, just out of sight behind the rock ridge to the far right of the bottom three pictures.
On the fourth picture, see if you can see the chipmunk on the rock in the foreground.
This hike is one of the most picturesque I think I've ever taken. It was difficult, in the thin air, climbing the elevation, even though the entire hike was only about six miles. But the beauty of this area is definitely worth the time and effort.
There is snow up here. Although you can't see it in the pictures, Tyndale Glacier is right above the lake, just out of sight behind the rock ridge to the far right of the bottom three pictures.
On the fourth picture, see if you can see the chipmunk on the rock in the foreground.
This hike is one of the most picturesque I think I've ever taken. It was difficult, in the thin air, climbing the elevation, even though the entire hike was only about six miles. But the beauty of this area is definitely worth the time and effort.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Vacation Day Three -- June 27
I am on the third day of my three-day vacation. Wednesday, I went up into Rocky Mountain National Park and engaged in my favorite activity: wilderness hiking. See the pictures below. I started out by doing a short loop around an area called Morane Meadow, a couple of miles from the park entrance. The first three pictures are of the meadow, with the Rockies in the distance.
After getting warmed up on the meadow, I attemped a more rigorous hike up the Fern Lake Trail. The trail leads about two miles up into the wilderness to a spot called "the Pools" on the Big Thompson river, and then splits and one side goes up to Cub Lake, the other goes on up to Fern Lake. The trail follows the river up, up, up, and I do mean "up". The thin air makes hiking uphill more of a chore than it is in Virginia. Naturally, I had plenty of water with me... the rangers say that dehydration is the main component of altitude sickness. I went through a gallon of water on this hike.
The river is full of cascades and short waterfalls. It runs fast. The river is full of huge rocks which have fallen off the mountain cliffs over the gorge. Beaver are very active in this area, but because the river runs so strong, instead of dams, they build diversions, which divert part of the river water over into a flat area beside the river, and they then dam up the end of the flat area to create their ponds. See the picture below of the beaver pond. I saw plenty of felled trees with beaver tooth marks, but never saw a beaver.
There is a picture of me standing in a cluster of rocky boulder-type chunks, with the boulders towering over me. This area is called "arch rocks" on the park map.
About 2 miles into the wilderness, I arrived at the bridge over "the Pool". It isn't a pool at all, it is a cascade. It is the picture right after the picture of me on the bridge. The cascade is a lot larger than the picture makes it look, probably cascading down about 120 feet or more.
Along the trail, I came across lots of elk, elk (the dark brown doe's in the picture below... one of them is smiling and saying 'cheese'...), plenty of chipmunks, and whole lotta mule deer (the lighter-colored doe). I didn't see an elk buck.
After passing the pool, I started up the trail towards Cub Lake, but it looked like it was going to be out in the sun for a while, so after about half a mile or so, I turned around and took the other fork. I went another mile or two up the trail towards Fern Lake, but the weather turned threatening, with thunder and lightning. I don't like to mess with lightning, so I took shelter under some rocks for a while. After about a half hour, the worst seemed over, but I didn't want to take chances by being up on a ridge, so I decided to come back down to the parking lot. All in all, it took me about five hours, and I only covered about six or seven miles total. I was taking it real easy, and stopping to take pictures all along the way, listen to the wildlife, and watch the antics of the animals and birds. It is amazing how much wildlife you can see if you stay quiet and still for a while.
One interesting thing: as I was walking along the trail in an open area, I stopped to watch two pica's chase each other... (pica's are like small rats or large chipmunks, but lack the racing stripes... they look like small squirrels with short thin tails)... when out of the sky fell this huge apparition. A golden eagle snapped out of the sky and slammed into one of the picas. He picked it up and flew off with it. I didn't have my camera ready, and the eagle came in and was gone in about three seconds total, so I didn't get a picture, but it happened about 40 feet in front of me.
Click on the pictures below for a larger version.
Wow, I *love* hiking in the wilderness.
After getting warmed up on the meadow, I attemped a more rigorous hike up the Fern Lake Trail. The trail leads about two miles up into the wilderness to a spot called "the Pools" on the Big Thompson river, and then splits and one side goes up to Cub Lake, the other goes on up to Fern Lake. The trail follows the river up, up, up, and I do mean "up". The thin air makes hiking uphill more of a chore than it is in Virginia. Naturally, I had plenty of water with me... the rangers say that dehydration is the main component of altitude sickness. I went through a gallon of water on this hike.
The river is full of cascades and short waterfalls. It runs fast. The river is full of huge rocks which have fallen off the mountain cliffs over the gorge. Beaver are very active in this area, but because the river runs so strong, instead of dams, they build diversions, which divert part of the river water over into a flat area beside the river, and they then dam up the end of the flat area to create their ponds. See the picture below of the beaver pond. I saw plenty of felled trees with beaver tooth marks, but never saw a beaver.
There is a picture of me standing in a cluster of rocky boulder-type chunks, with the boulders towering over me. This area is called "arch rocks" on the park map.
About 2 miles into the wilderness, I arrived at the bridge over "the Pool". It isn't a pool at all, it is a cascade. It is the picture right after the picture of me on the bridge. The cascade is a lot larger than the picture makes it look, probably cascading down about 120 feet or more.
Along the trail, I came across lots of elk, elk (the dark brown doe's in the picture below... one of them is smiling and saying 'cheese'...), plenty of chipmunks, and whole lotta mule deer (the lighter-colored doe). I didn't see an elk buck.
After passing the pool, I started up the trail towards Cub Lake, but it looked like it was going to be out in the sun for a while, so after about half a mile or so, I turned around and took the other fork. I went another mile or two up the trail towards Fern Lake, but the weather turned threatening, with thunder and lightning. I don't like to mess with lightning, so I took shelter under some rocks for a while. After about a half hour, the worst seemed over, but I didn't want to take chances by being up on a ridge, so I decided to come back down to the parking lot. All in all, it took me about five hours, and I only covered about six or seven miles total. I was taking it real easy, and stopping to take pictures all along the way, listen to the wildlife, and watch the antics of the animals and birds. It is amazing how much wildlife you can see if you stay quiet and still for a while.
One interesting thing: as I was walking along the trail in an open area, I stopped to watch two pica's chase each other... (pica's are like small rats or large chipmunks, but lack the racing stripes... they look like small squirrels with short thin tails)... when out of the sky fell this huge apparition. A golden eagle snapped out of the sky and slammed into one of the picas. He picked it up and flew off with it. I didn't have my camera ready, and the eagle came in and was gone in about three seconds total, so I didn't get a picture, but it happened about 40 feet in front of me.
Click on the pictures below for a larger version.
Wow, I *love* hiking in the wilderness.
Vacation: June 25-26
Hmmm. This is really a test posting to see if I can figure out how to post pictures. Right now, I am in Colorado, taking a couple of vacation days, getting used to the high altitude, so I can give a presentation at the AIS Educator's Conference this coming weekend without suffering from altitude sickness. I arrived in Denver (actually, Longmont) Sunday. Monday I drove to Estes Park and took a short (2 mile) hike around Lily Lake and up the Lily Mountain Trail a short ways. Tuesday I went to Cheyenne Wyoming, and then drove east to Nebraska. In Nebraska, I encountered a real "supercell" thunderstorm that dropped hail the size of ping-pong balls on my rental car. I thought for sure it would be dented, but no damage is apparently.
Let's see if I can post a few. Here is a picture of a rainbow as I approached the Nebraska Thunderstorm.
Here is a picture of the sunset. -->
Lily Lake is on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountain National Park, on highway 7, about five miles south of Estes Park. It has a very nice hiking trail around the lake. This picture is approaching Lily Lake. I really love wilderness hiking...
Today (Wed) I went back to Rocky Mountains National Park and took a good solid hike up the Fern Lake Trial, past Arch Rock, to "the Pools" on Big Thompson River, and up towards Cub Lake from the Fern Lake Falls Trail. I left the trailhead and hit the trail around 1:00 pm, and got back to the parking lot a little before six. However, I probably only logged about six or seven miles during all that time... I stopped a lot, resting and catching my breath, and taking lots of pictures.
Let's see if I can post a few. Here is a picture of a rainbow as I approached the Nebraska Thunderstorm.Here is a picture of the storm after it had passed. Notice the funny looking clouds. The clouds are pink because of the sunset.
Here is a picture of the sunset. -->Lily Lake is on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountain National Park, on highway 7, about five miles south of Estes Park. It has a very nice hiking trail around the lake. This picture is approaching Lily Lake. I really love wilderness hiking...
I have a timer on my camera. As long as I can find a flat rock, or wide tree limb, or other support that will hold my camera, I can set the timer for 10 seconds, and get in front of the lens and the camera will take my picture. This was taken on the far side of Lily Lake Trail.
Another view of Lily Lake, this time looking south from the north end of the lake. I'm 3/4 of the way around the lake here. There is no sign posting the altitude here, but I believe it is around 9,500 feet above sea level. 
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