Cliff camping can be a Rocky Mountain high
If you want a Rocky Mountain high, try 100 feet off the ground
ESTES PARK, COLO. Camping is commonplace in Estes Park. With crystal clear lakes, snow-capped mountains and abundant wildlife, it’s a magnet for those who love the great outdoors. But, what if your campsite was dangling from the side of a cliff, about 100 feet off the ground? Well, that’s a whole different story.
Nevertheless, I sign up to spend the night snoozing under the stars on a portaledge, a nylon cot no bigger than the size of two sleeping bags. It’s what you call cliff camping, a 24-hour experience where you hike up to base camp, then up to the top of Deville III, a nice little perch with views of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Once there, you clip into fixed ropes and rappel down to the itty, bitty portaledge where you chow down on dinner and fall asleep (hopefully) until morning. After breakfast, you rappel the rest of the way down to the ground.
“We are currently the only ones in North America offering this,” says my guide, Dustin Dyer. “There’s no prerequisites of skill. I mean, we have people that have never put on a harness before that can do this.”
Talk about a bucket-list item. And, believe it or not, it’s something anyone can do — scaredycat or not.
“More often than not, we are working with complete first-timers,” says Dyer. “It’s really more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge.”
He’s right. Although it takes some getting used to, I keep reminding myself that I’m always anchored in and there’s a backup. With my two expert guides, I’m in good hands.
The short hike up, before we harness in, is just plain fun, scrambling from boulder to boul- der. Before long, the rock becomes more steep, so we rope in and continue upward. Within an hour, we are at the top taking in views of Rocky Mountain National Park, Jurassic Park (a series of gorgeous domes) and Mummy Range.
It’s no wonder Estes Park is such a popular destination. It’s stunning, especially from this angle. It’s not uncommon to see falcons flying by and hummingbirds are always around. They make a cute chirping sound almost like a cricket and then zoom away.
HOME SWEET HOME
Time to descend to our abode for the night. With two quick rappels, I let gravity pull me down the ropes. I land safely on the ledge and hook into a different rope. Now, here’s the part most people don’t expect: The ledge sways back and forth and side to side. That is, no doubt, jarring.
Plus, when you are on the ledge, there is no barrier that prevents you from falling off the side. However, because you are securely roped in, you would only fall a few feet. And Dyer reassures me
that that has never happened.
“For people that are nervous, I like to focus a lot on real risk vs. perceived risk,” he explains. “I consider driving to be much more dangerous than this. This is very slow, very controlled.”
In other words, it may seem dangerous. But the fact is, it isn’t.
Don’t worry, though: If this isn’t your cup of tea, there’s plenty to do on the ground, including hiking, biking, paddleboarding or just strolling around the village.
SLEEP TIGHT
As I stare out into the vast wilderness, it hits me: There are no oth- er humans in sight. Just river, rocks and mountain tops.
The fact that I get to delve this deep into the wilderness with a relatively small amount of effort and in a short span of time makes it more amazing still.
Next, I scarf down dinner — Pad Thai warmed up on a Jetboil stove that hangs from the cliff — and tuck myself into my sleeping bag. The stars are brilliant, the air crisp.
When I wake up around sunrise I check my fitness tracker, which records my sleeping patterns.
It shows that I woke up many times, but managed to get five hours of sleep.
While rappelling my way back to solid ground I decide that this is basically the best tree-house hideout you could ever possibly imagine. And being just a tiny speck on a huge mountain really puts things in perspective.