On our hike to Lulu City in Rocky Mountain National Park, the hike passed by cabins dating to the late 1800s. These cabins were built by Joe Shipler, who came to the area looking for silver. Despite working for more than 30 years, Shipler never found the mother lode he was looking for. Today, his cabins are still along the trail, slowly being reclaimed by nature.
Here’s a picture of the view from one of the cabins. You can see that very little remains of the cabin today.
For more of our travel writing, check out our 101 Travel Bits series – soon to come, Key West!
Travels with Choppy 
Looks like bark beetle damage in the background. Did you see much of that? Talk about fire tinder – such a shame.
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A huge amount – entire swaths of the park had been hit by the beetle.
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😦
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The cabin sure had a beautiful view. People then were so persistent in looking for gold and silver. It’s sad that they spent their whole lives looking for something they never found.
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We decided he didn’t spend that much time looking for it, based on how little seemed to have been excavated. I like to think he just ended up enjoying the view, and sometimes doing some work just to tell others he was still working.
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It is beautiful. Hope you enjoyed it. Cheers
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It was part of a beautiful hike – definitely well-enjoyed!
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Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Thank you!
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Seems to be a lonesome but beautiful place. I wonder how it would be to live there…
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It wasn’t as far from civilization as it seems – there was a road in and out at that point, with a town a few miles away. Today, I think you would get tired of all the tourists traipsing through the front yard.
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30 years ! That is a long time… shame….
It really seems beautiful there. Hiking around there must have been amazing !
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It was great – you’re nearly at the headwaters of the Colorado River, and the mountains are all around. You can definitely tell you’re not in Wisconsin any more!
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Hiked to the Shipler cabins more than 30 years ago with my daughter, who was 8 at the time. We also hiked Bear Lake Nature Trail up Hallett Peak that day. I cried all night from the cramps in my legs, lol. Thanks for reminding me of a beautiful time.
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