6 days after Ironman – couldn’t wait to hit the mountains, jump in & rejoin everyday life.
Kicked off the weekend at Louisville Street Faire listening to live outdoor music, filling up on pizza & ice cream. All summer, every Friday night on Front Street (just off Main). Haven’t been once this year – good to be back.
Woke late Saturday plus the weather’s been a bit unpredictable, so Lake Isabelle was today’s target. Ash & Tom’s dog Marty injured his shoulder a few weeks back so decided on a shorter hike to best assess his recovery.
Hiked Lake Isabelle 2 years ago during my 52 week hike challenge – actually overshot the Glacier, resulting in Ro & I hiking down to our end destination. Good memories.
Paid the park fee & queued 30 minutes for our turn into the Park. So many people flocking to Indian Peaks this day, that rangers limited car entry into the Park.
Located parking on the west side of Brainard Lake & hit the trail. Good to be outside, always enjoy the smell of pine.
Quickly made our way to Long Lake – much easier without waist-high snow – and continued on Isabelle Glacier trail. Memory failed me thinking I’d passed glaciers before Lake Isabelle. In actuality these were only leftover snow banks from the heavy winter season which socked the Rockies this past year. WOW – it’s August. Not expecting these drifts will melt before snow flies again. LOVE my escape from the summer heat – only an hour from home.
Sat on a large rock, Isabelle lakeside & shot landscape pics as dark clouds gathered. Rain, gusty cold wind, ice pellets, rain again, then sunshine – all within a 20 minute span. LOL>
What turns a good hike day into a GREAT hike day?
Saw 2 HUGE moose on our hike return. I’ve seen moose from a distance in New Hampshire & Alaska. These guys however were close (10-15 feet away) and H-U-G-E. Their rack, their heads – just enormous. Tried to keep our distance & not startle these giants…but in reality, they could have trounced us. SPECTACULAR!
Bear & bighorn sheep last month – moose today. Travelling to Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks over my birthday – excited about the possibilities. Life is good, really really good 🙂
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- perfect day for a hike
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- wet summer = lush green colour
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- snow melt & runoff…in August
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- snow silhouette – LOVE this place!
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- Lake Isabelle
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- Isabelle Glacier
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- he’s baaaaaack – my hiking buddy, Ro
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- Moose!
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- outdoor music & brew every Friday night (local summer fun)
Mt. Bierstadt was my first 14er summit 2 years ago, seemed fitting Ash & Tom would summit the same mountain as their first 14er. Shouldn’t be too challenging. Ash reminded me they had already conquered New Jersey’s highest – High Point, 1,803ft 🙂
Early on the road, quick stop for gas station food in Georgetown (guilty pleasure), then up Guanella Pass.
Warm weather & Bierstadt’s close proximity to Denver = lotta trail traffic. Battled mosquitoes thru the mile-plus willow thicket, but luckily they dissipated as we reached our first glacier.
(Colorado’s dry, high altitude environment make mosquitoes rare but this year the mountains were socked with snow, followed by a wet summer. Generally Colorado summers are plagued by forest fire.)
Lotta afternoon lightning strikes (summer norm) so hiked at a fast clip. Couldn’t have been more impressed with my Jersey transplants – kept good attitudes & stayed well hydrated.
Switchback after switchback – targeted a spot (generally a large rock), hike sprint, quick break – rock, hike, break, rock, hike, break. Little by little we worked our way to the false summit (actually tougher than the last half-mile rock scramble UP). Ash & Tom stopped midway for lunch; I opted to hike on & eat at the false summit. Finished lunch, took in some thin air, waited 20 minutes. Up popped Ash & Tom over the lip of the false summit. Super proud!
More fun than summiting? Sharing others’ experience of reaching their first summit. FAAANNTASTIC!
Rock scramble to the Summit. Straight UP 1,000ft — large boulder climb, looking for hand holds, scoping out footing. Much more interesting than the past 2 miles of scree hill incline. SUMMIT SUCCESS!
Pics, conversation…then a quick descent to beat storms blowing in from the North. Caught a few sprinkles, but didn’t need jackets ‘til the willow thicket on our hike return.
Congrats Ash & Tom! (who think maybe one 14er a year – what, only one? I’ve gotta work on that 🙂 )
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- Ash & Tom’s first 14er
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- mile+ willow thicket
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- so close…yet so far away
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- glacier selfie
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- lunch break at 13,000ft – life is good 🙂
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- whole lotta hiker traffic
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- rock scramble to the top
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- thumbs up, all smiles
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- SUMMIT SUCCESS!
How could I possibly top two days of tenting in Glacier National Park? How ‘bout a heli tour?
Just prior to entering the Park on Thursday, drove past a sign advertising helicopter tours over Glacier. Quick pull-off, U-ey across Hwy 2 & I was on my way back to Glacier Heli Tours. Laid down a deposit – BAM that’s how I vacation.
Saturday morning, packed up the rental (last day of tenting), grabbed breakfast at a truck stop diner, signed waivers & received brief instructions at Glacier Heli Tours, then joined a family from Jersey for the trip of a lifetime.
Lucky for me, not only did I get to take advantage of the 4-6 person rate but also got to sit up front. Pilot asked me not to touch any buttons or open the door while we were in the air. Check, done 🙂
Over the past 2 days, I thought I had seen much of Glacier National Park – West Glacier on Thursday, hiked Grinnell from Many Glaciers trailhead on Friday (east entrance), plus drove the swath across the Park on Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Honestly, I had only scratched the surface of this amazing park.
Soaring over snow-capped peaks & glaciers, multiple waterfalls & tarns (glacial lakes) via helicopter, re-awoke my inner love of high peaks & everything mountain. One WOW moment, followed by another. INSPIRED – just couldn’t stop smiling. Massive mineral plates pushed together, shooting upward from Earth toward the heavens. SPECTACULAR!
Briefly crossed over the Canadian border to Waterton Lakes Nat’l Park.
Welcome to Canada. Incoming Calls/Text are active. Calls: $0.89/min. TXT: Send=$0.5,Receive=$0.05. WiFi may be used where available.
After next month’s Ironman, my immediate plans include the mountains. Hiking, backpacking, trail running, shoeing, ski mountaineering & winter camping – I see high altitude peaks, ice axes & the Arctic North in my 20-15.
Social Media RoundUp
Anish I had an architect friend who once said
Where the eye can see
the mind stretches…
Anish We were talking about people from the hills and I have always believed that they are different from people from the plains…I was born at Almora…could see the Himalayas!
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- Glacier Heli Tours
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- lucky day: co-pilot
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- McDonald Creek
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- 3rd largest Park in lower 48
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- receding glacier
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- Iceberg Lake
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- largest glacier in Park
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- overnight avalanche
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- thawing glacial tarn
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- Where the eye can see, the mind stretches…
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- seeing double, Twin Lakes
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- Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.
