Sep 6th 2009 :- The plan for the day was to hike in the Bear Lake area. The area around Glacier Gorge near Bear Lake is considered to the prettiest part of this park to head to on foot. As I was to hear from a hiker, later in the day, it is the equivalent to Ansel Adams Wilderness in the Sierra Nevada region.
I had checked out my options for hiking on the previous night itself. The hike from Glacier Gorge to either "The Loch Vale" (3.1 miles, oneway) and/or Mills Lake (2.8 miles, oneway) seemed to be my preference. I first headed towards Long's Peak trailhead along CO-7 but stopped first close to Lily Lake. It was a small lake but the reflection of the mountains in the lake was pretty enough for one to resist capturing it on film. Lily Mountain rises to 9786 feet but I had higher places in mind for the day. On the way along CO-7 the drive through Tahosa Valley brings one to a point where Long's Peak can be seen the best. It appears within ones reach but is an arduous 4000 ft climb from the trailhead.
Although, climbing it was a tempting proposition, I knew that it wasn't my destination for the day. On the way back I stopped for a few minutes at Mary's Lake. Bear Lake area is usually crowded and hence there is bus that takes one close to this area from a parking lot a few miles away. I made sure I was carrying enough food, water and other gear for the day. We had been warned of afternoon showers which are a norm here in the mountains. Hikers are encouraged to complete their hike so that they are done by 3 pm or so.
Glacial Gorge trailhead is located at 9240 ft while Bear Lake is a few hunderd feet higher. The first point to get along the hike is Alberta Falls at a distance of 0.8 miles. It was the beginning of September and the faint traces of fall colors were visible from the trailhead. The trail upto Alberta Falls was pretty wide and was well manicured. Quite a few passengers on our bus joined this first part of the hike making it a crowded trail. Another trail from Bear Lake joins this trail and continues forward. Aspen and Pine trees abound in this initial part of the hike. Quite a few visitors were enjoying the view of Alberta Falls. Beyond the falls, only the serious hikers continue as the trail becomes narrower. One reaches the junction of North Longs Peak trail junction. At this junction one can see the expanse of the meadows and the mountains beyond. Also visible in the trees below is the colored vegetation of early fall.
One has to then continue right i.e south-west where one enters a valley between Thatchtop Mountains (12668 ft) . This point was very spectacular reminding one of the valley in Yosemite. At the 2 mile mark is the junction of the routes to Mills Lake and the Loch Vale. From this point it is a rather steep, 1 mile climb towards Loch Vale. One first approaches a narrow creek where a few switchbacks begin. Upon climbing this part of the mountainside one reaches the flatter top to reach the The Loch Vale. The vegetation here is primarily that of the evergreen forests.
Although, I had decided to get only to Loch Vale the prospect of going higher towards Sky Pond and closer towards Taylor Peak (13153 ft) was too tempting. The trail from Loch Vale passes from the North of the lake towards the east and then through some swampy area. There are a few spots where one needs to pass over wooden logs placed over creeks. The next landmark is Timberline Falls where it gets slightly tricky to pass along. The falls are about 50 feet high and are split into two parts. At the western edge of the falls is a ledge that needs to be traversed to get to the top. After a scramble over the ledge one immediately gets a view of Lake of Glass on reaching the top. The vegetation here quickly changes to that seen in the alpine tundra. The weather here is harsher and not much vegetation survives. The lake is supposed to have some trout. A angler hiked this last stretch with his fishing pole and indicated he had seem bodily remains of a bear on his climb from Loch Vale. He had not taken the trail but I did get stopped in my tracks by a badger or beaver who crossed the trail right in front of me.
A short walk ahead from the Lake of Glass is Sky Pond. The Taylor Glacier can be seen right across the Pond. The Sky Pond is located at 10900 ft above sea level, meaning I had completed an ascent of 1660 feet from the trail head. The hike had been tiring but the ever changing scenery had almost cast a spell. Along the way, I had passed two waterfalls and this was the third alpine lake beyond which views of a glacier were on offer. It was hard to imagine that the Taylor Peak was still 3000 feet higher up. Cathedral spires of the gash could be seen towards the Northern side beyond which was the area near Andrews Glacier. The hike to Andrews Glacier was steeper although it was just half a mile longer and hence I had opted to get to Sky Pond from The Loch Vale.
I spent quite some time absorbing the views down towards the Loch Vale and lower down through the narrow opening in that direction. This was one of those hikes where the scenery over 4.5 miles was spectacular and was one of amazing variety. I did spend some time having snack and then headed down over the tricky part of the route over the ledge next to Timberline Falls. It wasn't as tricky as say Harishchandragad but nevertheless not one of those common trails in a national park.
As I got close to the Loch Vale it got cloudy and soon a drizzle began. Fellow hikers who were prepared got their rain gear out, others were carrying ponchos. The vegetation was thick enough and I found a spot under a tree where the light rain hardly got to me. The drizzle did not last too long and I continued down the switchbacks and to the junction to Mills Lake. My earlier plan was to get to Mills Lake after having come down from the Loch Vale but that was when I had no intention of going up towards Sky Pond. A short halt here and I proceeded down knowing there were 2.2 miles to go.
I headed back to the Glacier Gorge area and intended to get to Bear Lake not knowing that one requires an ascent to get to Bear Lake from Glacier Gorge area. Fortunately, I did notice this just at the right time and hence I headed to the parking lot at Glacier Gorge trailhead. A short bus ride took me to Bear Lake. I intended to go around in the lake area but I had to change plans as a big storm quickly approached and engulfed the area next to the bus stop. The rain started pelting and I started thinking about hikers who were heading to the top of Sky Pond while I was on the way down.
Upon coming to the parking lot, I spent some time inside the car waiting for the rain to slow down while I ate some snacks. After a while, I began driving without the rain having slowed down to a halt. As I got closer to Moraine Park, the rain had almost stopped. There were plenty of elk in the meadows and even more visitors trying to observe their behavior. I spent some time observing the elk, waiting for the sun come out in all glory but with the cloud cover towards the west that did not seem a possibility.
The 9 mile hike had taken its toll and although it was just close to 5:30 pm, I decided to head back to the hotel. The fall foliage, with aspen and pine trees to begin with, followed by evergreen trees and topped by alpine tundra made this hike one to remember for long. The views were further complemented by two waterfalls, three alpine lakes, a glacier and the jagged snow capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains an it was worth the hike to and fro.
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