The day started bright and early as the alarm rang out to tell us it was time to get up. We had everything packed and ready to go the night before so it was a matter of loading up the cooler and all of our gear, herding the dogs into the truck, and heading on out to the West. The sunrise painted the mountains a brilliant purple and the clouds above a wonderful pink as we headed toward them anticipating the adventure. After what seemed like forever, we were in the parking lot at the Herman Gulch Trail Head. The lake was our final destination at only 3.25 miles.
The first leg of the trail was pretty much straight up. We stopped only a couple of times to enjoy the waterfalls along the way but for the most part, we kept right on moving. Of course, we couldn't go on such an adventure without stopping first to find a quick cache. The view from the cache location was simply amazing! We did not, however, know that the best was yet to come!
As our adventure continued upwards, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a lone, bare tree. The shape of the tree led me to believe that we were in great hands!
With that in mind, we continued up...and up...and UP! Mike finally gave up his walking stick as I was having a very difficult time climbing up. The trail was steep and seemed never to end. I never thought we were going to make it to our destination; especially at the 4-hour mark!
However, we crested the final hill and discovered the beauty we had anticipated! The veiw at the top was breathtaking (or maybe it was the fact that we ascended 3,000 feet!!) Topos, Sedona, and I headed right to the water. The bottom was clearly visible as most mountain lakes seem to be. Because of the wind, the reflections were non-existant. However, the views took that fact right out of my mind!
We stopped to eat a picnic lunch. While we had prepared our meal thinking we would be sharing a bottle of wine we picked up in Estes Park a couple of weeks ago, the altitude sickness kept us from popping the cork. Instead, we enjoyed some time viewing the sites and enjoying the solitude and silence you get when you climb a mountain!
After a short rest on the rocks in the warm sunshine, Mike began to ascend toward the Continental Divide up the rock face. Topos, Sedona, and I continued to rest until the urge was too great.
We too, began to climb. I have never had a problem with the 'up' when it comes to rock climbing. In fact, I love to climb up to places that most people wouldn't dream of. The views from that far up are even better in my opinion!
However, the down is where I usually have the most trouble. Luckily, Mike is quite proficient at the art of mountain climbing so he is really quite good at talking me down! As the time had really flown by and the sun was beginning to drop below the crest of the mountain to the West, we headed back toward the truck to head home. Instead of following the trail we had come up, we decided an adventure was in store. We walked across the open plain back to the tree-line along the edge. It was awesome! The views continued to amaze and inspire!
Even Topos took a moment to enjoy the fresh mountain air and a view of the mountains in the distance!
The descent once we returned the trail was a short one. I must admit, I really didn't want to come down but the temperature at 12,000 feet in October is a little lower than I can handle with the equipment we have. I am sure this summer we are going to have the gear we need and make this adventure longer as we hike the Continental Divide trail (and beyond).
For now, the dogs are already snoring and I can't keep my eyes open so I must say good night.
C'ya!
1 comment:
Happy Birthday (a little late)! Cool adventure!
Kj
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