Mystery in Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park is the story’s setting, as well as its central motif. RMNP illuminates the power of Finding Freedom Through Adventure, as demonstrated by Jake, Wes, and Amber’s formative experiences of independence and teamwork and Abe’s discovery of the power of exploration to provide a sense of freedom for an individual. Illustrations are cast throughout the story to add a visual layer to the reader’s experience of this extraordinary natural environment, with its endless mountains, waterfalls, creeks, and meadows. When he first arrives, Jake is instantly taken in by RMNP and feels like it is calling out to him. This is partly because of the landscape’s beauty and partly because being at RMNP is one way in which Jake is Connecting to One’s Family Legacy. His great-great-grandpa built trails while his grandpa explored the parks in search of something, and now Jake is doing the same. At times, the landscape almost comes alive and takes on a spirit of its own—one founded on risk, curiosity, and the need for experience: “Mountains ain’t piles of rock, Abe. They’ve got a life of their own, stirring up their own weather and shaking off anything that don’t belong.