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Rocky Mountain National Park: A Visual Interpretation
Rocky Mountain National Park A Visual Interpretation Author:George Wuerthner From out on the eastern plains of Colorado, I can pick out the snowy summit of Longs Peak, more than one hundred miles away. I've fanaticized about the cool, green land the peak heralds many times while driving across the seemingly endless, hot, parched, and bronzed plains of eastern Colorado. The highest summit within today's Rocky Mountain Nat... more »ional Park, Longs Peak is named for Major Stephen Long, who in 1820 mapped what was then the unknown western reaches of United States territory. like me, Long was tantalized by the promise of its chill heights, as he trudged across the dusty plains, which he characterized as the "Great American Desert". Though he never did get very close to the mountain that now bears his name, Long was the first white explorer to draw attention to these mountains.« less