waterfalls

hike #39: Black Lake (RMNP)

Published September 29, 2012

Dropped Ro off at Camp Bow Wow (doggie daycare) at 7am, met up with last weekend’s group hike buddies, Annmarie & John at Panera in Boulder – destination Rocky Mountain Nat’l Park. Happy Public Lands Day! No $20 entrance fee – FREE is for ME!

Sunshine, 60-degree weather, yellow aspens…and SNOW on the peaks!

We entered Beaver Meadows Entrance just past Estes Park. Today’s hike destination was Black Lake, a 10+ mile hike off Bear Lake Rd within the park. 2 waterfalls, 3 lakes, well-marked trail, all under treeline. FAAANNNNTASTIC!

I love my dog but maybe even more fun to hike with human conversation. We weren’t more than a mile into our hike before we christened John, ‘Black John’ (due to his dark humour). Super fun people. AND not always easy to find folks who hike at the same pace. I definitely lucked out – both John & Annmarie also hike weekly, both former East Coast, both like to laugh.

Bladder tube – won’t go into detail here…but I can tell you, was a super funny story.

After a pic opportunity at Alberta Falls, took an energy bar break at Mills Lake. Landscape was seriously breath-taking. Pristine aquamarine water filled with native trout, hugged by evergreens – all against a snow peak backdrop. W-O-W!

Hiked through a section of the trail affected by the windstorm of 11.12.11. Crews cut thru tens of fallen trees to reclaim trail access to hikers. Thanks! Another photo shoot opportunity at Ribbon Falls, before reaching today’s end destination goal, Black Lake. Perched up on rocks overlooking Black Lake, we dropped our backpacks and enjoyed lunch with a view. AMAZING!

An impromptu waterfall spilled over massive rock. Super cold water but just had to get in. Shed shoes & socks and climbed into the water – sooooooo cold. Peer pressured my friends to touch the waterfall (caused by melting snow-runoff).

Crazy beautiful day.

Ended hike day with burgers at BJ’s Brewery in Boulder (‘cause Estes Park was packed with tourists enjoying ‘Elk Fest’). Picked up Ro, completely worn out from pack play with his peeps – I didn’t say a word about my hike 🙂

p.s. Who’s afraid of the big 4-0? Not I. Arches Nat’l Park in Utah is hike destination #40!

Black Lake/RMNP (waterfall clip)

: when your hike starts like this…gonna be one AMAAAZZING DAY!

: only 1,400ft hike incline over 10+ miles — mighty nice day

: Alberta Falls

: best hike partners ever – John & Annmarie

: bristlecone pine

: snow & t-shirt weather ROCKS!

: Mills Lake

: trail mix/energy bar break

: FAAANNNTASTIC VIEW — one waterfall & one lake to go

: Ribbon Falls

: hike destination – Black Lake!

: why we didn’t get lost – most hikers use maps…who knew?

: impromptu waterfall (created by snow melt)

: shed my shoes – LIVIN’ in the moment!

: C-O-L-D!

: this week’s W-O-W shot, happy Autumn 2012!

Posted in RMNP | Tagged autumn, hiking, waterfalls | Leave a comment

hike #31: Isabelle Glacier & Lake Isabelle

Published August 4, 2012

ROCKSTAR hike!

Ro and I started out early – destination Isabelle Glacier. Like the concept of playing it safe but 2 weeks from the Audubon strike, needed some altitude. And who doesn’t want to see snow in August? Come on.

Trailhead parking was already full at 730am, but alternative parking was less than a mile away. Step out of the car, backpack up and think – dang it’s cool. Check the temperature gauge – 52 degrees. YES! Pull on a fleece and off we go.

Long Lake, then a treeline hike through green valleys, tall pines, amazing mountain scapes, and random waterfalls. This is one of those days where I get super spiritual – sight, sound & smell are all firing competing endorphins. It’s just so visually stunning, coupled with rushing water and crisp high altitude mountain air. WOW moment!

Another mile & Lake Isabelle, mountain lake just under 11,000ft elevation fed by glacier runoff. Blues, emerald greens, hugged between two 13er peaks, Mt Apache & Mt Shoshoni. End destination for many hikers (& their dogs) so let Ro socialize and get in a quick swim.

Once our trail hit rock, started watching for cairns. One left where I should have went right. ‘Nuf said. Frustrating. 31 different unique hikes though haven’t allowed me to learn a particular trail well – but happily have been exposed to many many Colorado destinations this year. Been logging hike mishaps mentally to guide me over my next 40 years 🙂

I can see our glacier destination, UP UP from the waterfall riverbed. So…Ro & I do just that — start bouldering UP, thankfully not so much shale. Put Ro on a retractable leash this week – gives him 20 feet of run (vs 6 on his rope leash) and allows me to carabiner clip to my pack, freeing up both hands while scaling rock. I DID learn from Audubon. UP, UP, we climb until I can see Mt Shoshoni peak on my horizon. Stop for a bean burrito break and hear folks making noise on Isabelle Glacier – approx 1,000 feet & 3 glaciers below us. ARGH!

I can 100% manage this – just a mental stretch after the strike. Focus, take it slow and think through the down climb.

I let Sno Ro enjoy an August run at the first glacier. To the top of this small glacier he darts, then purposely slides to the bottom. Up and down like an 8-year-old child. Inspired by his love of life, found myself laughing out loud.

Second glacier was HUGE but icy from the summer sun. Additionally I notice it spills over a cliff — yeah, a cliff. No play on this one – instead we scale laterally over rock until I spot a good exit to boulder down. Rocks were weathered smooth so searched for crags and breaks to safely descend. Back up, lateral over and down again. It’s a process, no lie – and all with a dog – but success! One gash on my left ankle but nothing like Audubon. Sting [from cut] actually keeps one alert, human, more in the moment.

We see our first hikers again – on the other side of Isabelle Glacier. Scale across the glacier and pick up a trail on the other side.

Back up – ‘scaled across a glacier’. Yeah, my Colorado life ROCKS!

Sno Ro glacier slide (video short)

: 52 degrees start temp; LOVIN’ it!

: glacier fed waterfall

: beautiful Lake Isabelle

: quick swim before Glacier climb

: series of cairns marked our trail

: day target is upper right Glacier

: bouldering UP from waterfall riverbed below (after losing trail, again)

: nearing Shoshoni peak (nothing but blue skies)

: Apache Peak (view from Shoshoni)

: Holy crap Batman – our glacier is 1,000ft down! Ugh!

: 3rd glacier down is Isabelle Glacier – kinda overshot our target today

: ROCKSTAR August hike!

: crags & cracks (hand-holds) for DOWN climb; boulders were weathered smooth

: glacier pic – SUCCESS!

: scaled across this glacier field to re-pick up trail

: cairn (left of Ro) marks our journey home

Posted in NoCo/Indian Peaks | Tagged glaciers, hiking, waterfalls | 2 Comments

hike #26: Lake Dorothy I (Nederland CO)

Published July 1, 2012

Still under the weather with (smoke-related) bronchitis and would have stayed locked indoors had it not been for my New Year’s pledge. Soooo very last minute on Sunday morning, I fast-n-furious scoured for a weekly hike. I remember a lady at my local dog park once mentioning Lake Dorothy as challenging – today’s destination Lake Dorothy, elevation 12,061 feet.

Didn’t arrive in Nederland until 10am on a sunny summer day morning – so the place was packed, no parking to be found. Parked and started the 2 mile hike to ‘4^th of July’ road. Lucky for us, a bus stopped and asked if we wanted a ride. Sweet, huh? From the bus drop-off point, sign read 4 miles to ‘4^th of July’ trailhead. Ugh ’cause I remember the hike being 7.3 miles roundtrip from the trailhead. Go big or go home — today’s hike was gonna cure me (with a rush of happy endorphins) or kill me.

I’m ‘all in’ and focused on banging out these first 4 miles as soon as possible. The road hugged a large rushing river so Ro enjoyed two water/swim breaks – all before we ‘technically’ started today’s trail hike. Unfortunately my notes were kinda sketchy but knew Arapahoe Pass Trail was the initial trail choice to Lake Dorothy once we reached the trailhead.

The MOST wildflowers year-to-date of any hike we’ve done. All ROYGBIV rainbow hues represented – fed by mountain streams which created 2 healthy waterfalls both intersecting our hike – beautiful! The climb ascended into a green valley surrounded by glacier-riddled mountains. Colours were all so vivid – like being interposed into a Ravenswood jigsaw puzzle of the Swiss Alps. W-O-W!

So I’m now 6 miles in after the bus ride and make a HUGE directional mistake – taking Arapahoe Glacier trail at the 2-mile junction. This trail led Ro & I across a tundra marsh and then up a series of switchbacks up the base of Mount Neva.

The trail moderates through a broad krummholz flat (1.65 miles : 11,110′) to the Arapaho Glacier Trail split (2.05 miles : 11,236′), and continues past the historic Fourth of July Mine into open tundra. The trail is well-defined but markedly rugged once above treeline.

A mile and half into this trail we see our first hikers, who confirm we are on the wrong trail. Disappointing. Altitude made my lungs ache for air – bronchitis creating an asthmatic reaction. Time for a lunch break. Two bites of bean burrito and whoof – I empty my stomach like an East Coast tourist. I catch 20 minutes of zzz’s on a large rock and contemplate the meaning of life.

Do I hike back and then another mile and half in the other direction to see Lake Dorothy? OR (after doing the math) do I focus on just getting back: 1.5 miles + 2 miles (to trailhead) + 4 miles (to 4^th of July road) + 2 miles (to Nederland)?

I take the losers’ ‘tude this day and head home 🙁 Leaves me with unfinished business for another day – maybe 4^th of July week…seems appropriate [this hike] starting from 4^th of July trailhead.