Day 2 - We continued our trek to Swamp Park. We made our way over streams, past aspen groves, up switchbacks, and through dense ferns and shrubbery. Again the flowers were sensational as was the wildlife, such as the bee mimic beetle, a caterpillars, aphids, a cicada, and a feisty pine squirrel. The moment we stepped out onto the swamp, we were bombarded by mosquitoes! We eventually decided we had to set up camp back down at a lower altitude... and away from so much water.

Day 3 - We continued our hike back down. It was technically the same trail and scenery as the day before, but it was still filled with many new flowers and animals... including a snakefly, weevil, chipmunk and male elk. We decided to camp in the same spot as we had our first night.

Day 4 - We had hoped to do the Elk Park Trail, but it had rained heavily the night before and the required river crossing simply seemed to risky. So we spent the morning exploring the area surrounding our camping meadow. Yup, more flowers and critters... spiders, a deer fly, hawks, fish, a chafer beetle and numerous moths and butterflies.

Day 5 - We backed up and headed out. I was amazed that we continued to see different flowers and wildlife... a robber fly, millipede, a large grub (beetle larva) and a treehopper. We took a different driving route home, through Rocky Mountain National Park over Trail Ridge Road.