Rocky Mountain Memories 1973 - 1975

Introduction

My first hiking and backpacking in the Rockies was in the John Denver era, complete with heavy mountain boots, external frame nylon packs and closed cell ensolite foam sleeping pads. We conditioned for a few days just outside Estes Park at a summer camp and then took off for a week hiking various mountains, crossing passes and chilling our feet in streams and lakes. It was definitely the camping highlight of my 20s! I did this twice but didn’t get back until 2000 when my husband and son couldn’t believe I had actually carried a 45 pound pack up those steep trails we gazed upon. Then this past summer, 2008, I got to return again with members of my son’s troop, some of whom hiked to many of the same places I covered in 1973 and 1975. Everything is just as beautiful and rugged as I remembered! And even though my legs are definitely not as strong as they were in 1973 and I now need cortisone shots just to day hike I know I will return again! (And yes, I did actually attend a John Denver concert!)

The downside is that my slides from these trips were taken using a small Kodak Instamatic camera which until recently I had stored and temporarily misplaced. Luckily for me (maybe not for everyone else, we'll see) they were found and I have spent about 40 hours scanning and using Photoshop Elements to restore about 60 of these pictures to viewing condition. So if anyone has a similar motherlode of history and wants advice, just PM me and I'll share my restoration hints.

If anyone can help me identify more about the locations in my photos I would appreciate it. Feel free to comment.

Rocky Mountain High - 1973

Rocky Mountain High - 1975

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Images

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Comments

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Viewing: 1-13 of 13

Deltaoperator17 - Nov 24, 2008 12:28 pm - Voted 10/10

I love it

The clothing reminds me of the same times in the mountains of Oregon, Of cource my sister was 23 and I was 14. . .LOL I loved the high shorts on the girls!

silversummit - Nov 24, 2008 1:41 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: I love it

You young thing! Sometimes I complain about the shorts girls wear today but then I see these pics and say, yikes! What were we thinking with the sun and practically no sunscreen back then! But you guys did love 'em!

lcarreau - Nov 26, 2008 10:22 pm - Voted 10/10

I'm not very good at

telling jokes regarding age. Ooooh, let's see!

I was 18 years old in '75, and you're definitely right about the shorts!!! :) AND that's no joke!

Larry of AZ

silversummit - Nov 26, 2008 10:32 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: I'm not very good at

Oh Larry! I could have been your babysitter! But the one good thing about growing older is that things equal out.....

And thanks for looking at my old pictures (and probably laughing a bit too!) Happy Thanksgiving!
Kathy

Sarah Simon - Dec 19, 2008 5:02 pm - Voted 10/10

I love the historic element

Now, I won't tell you what I was doing in 1974, but it involved filling a diaper...

Thanks for sharing the photos.

With all due respects, however, may the 1970s wardrobes RIP. ;)

Cheers,

Sarah

silversummit - Dec 19, 2008 7:14 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: I love the historic element

Well Sarah there are some of us on SP who actually remember the mid 70s (LOL)....and I never really liked the bell bottoms myself, especially my pink ones (what was I thinking?) Although the embroidery on the pants has come back once or twice.

P.S Every time I see your profile pic I think it's a diamond ring sitting in the dirt! You'd think I'd learn!

Snidely Whiplash - Jun 16, 2009 11:29 am - Voted 10/10

Thank you for that

I love seeing those pictures. Maybe our paths crossed? I was going to boys camp (Cheley) there in the summers of 1973 and 1974, and was in a lot of the same places you were. Brings back the memories. Oh, and we didn't even have the luxury of ensolite ground pads. We just slept on the ground.

silversummit - Jun 16, 2009 7:38 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Thank you for that

You're welcome! We might have hiked many of the same trails those years. I flew in from Maryland to a camp for a little conditioning then off on the trails for about two weeks in 1973 and 1975.

Mostly I remember the perfect weather and what fun it was to hike up and see snow in July.

Glad you enjoyed the album!

myrone - Jul 16, 2009 10:47 am - Voted 10/10

Great job!

You should be proud of this album and the memories it holds will last forever............well done!!

silversummit - Jul 16, 2009 9:17 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Great job!

Thank you for your kind words! I was just happy to find these slides and get help identifying the places I had been so long ago so it's great to hear your thoughts.

Lucky you living in such a beautiful state!

silversummit - Sep 11, 2009 11:17 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Nice retrospective!

Glad you enjoyed my reveries! I had quite a bit of help from fellow SP members identifying where I had been so long ago.

Kathy

Bill Reed - Feb 5, 2016 10:19 am - Voted 10/10

Just came across this.....

time capsule of your Colorado Rocky Mountain High Times. It's brilliant!! The photos look amazing. Thanks for sharing them, Kathy.

silversummit - Feb 6, 2016 3:53 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Just came across this.....

Thank you Bill!

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