Rocky Mountain High

Day 3 and we have another adventure to share already. I don’t think it’s overblowing the days events at all to call today the second most dangerous hike that we’ve been on. Of course the Arches flash flood of 2015 still retains the top spot, but today is right there. Generally speaking I like to think that I’m pretty unflappable when it comes to our adventures, but today was different. We’d actually done nearly this exact same hike last year, but in a counter-clockwise direction. We decided that we’d like to begin and end with downhill sections and a whole lot of uphill in between, rather than vice-versa so we set off clockwise around the loop.

The first mile, from the Bear Lake trailhead to Alberta Falls was pretty unremarkable. There were occasional pretty views, but nothing out of the ordinary as far as hiking. Even the next mile or so to the Mills Lake junction was fairly busy with people and well marked trail. We had heard from a ranger the day before that we should expect there to be some snow on the trail as we approached Lake Haiyha and she was spot on. The trail alternated between completely clear and covered in 4-5 foot high snow drifts. We manged to lose the trail a few times, but always quickly recovered and by shortly after noon we were enjoying PBJ&C’s just a couple tenths of a mile from Haiyha. We nearly made the decision to continue on without actually seeing the lake since the trail seemed to be a bit less safe than we’d prefer. It largely consisted of a boulder field with unsteady snow bridges between the various giant rocks. After poking around for a few minutes though we found an alternate route that took us safely to our destination.

Although a minor detail, I think it’s worth mentioning that while we were resting on the edge of the lake I spent a good deal of time watching a single, large fish swimming in the perfectly clear water of the lake. How did that fish (and presumably the rest of his family) get up there?

We also met a nice family from Kansas City there, only the second group we’d seen since making the turn toward Haiyha. The descibed the trail as snow covered, but well travelled and marked. Since the trail we had been on previously was also snow covered, but untravelled and poorly marked we looked forward to an easy rest of the day.

For most of the the way, it was pretty easy going. Then we came to what will forever be known as The Death Ledge. One thing I generally try to avoid in our hikes is exposed ledges. Having a kid (or adult) fall hundreds of feet would be pretty awful. This ledge was exactly the worst possible type of exposure. The snow was piled on top of the actual trail. If the trail had been clear there would have been no issue at all. However, the Death Ledge consisted of a roughly foot wide (foot as in the thing that is attached to your leg, not the unit of measurement) trail made of ice/snow. There was a solid wall of snow on wide side of this trail and a 500 foot drop on the other. Needless to say, scary.

I went first and did my best to carve footprints for the other to follow across. I also advised everyone else to lean into the snow and walk very carefully. There really was nothing else to do, everyone would have to make it on their own. Zoe was a rock star and made it no problem, Ellie was much more unsure about the whole situation but also made it across. Finally Molly followed and we were all across. That is across the first Death Ledge. Although this one was the worst there were a few more, none of us could remember the exact number, but I do recall one began with a climb over a tree and another involved crawling under a tree. I think probably 1 or two more as well.

At the bottom of the trail we were met with a totally juxtaposed site: hundred of tourists making the jaunt to Dream Lake oblivious to our recent peril. We joined them and sat be the shore for a snack and emotional recovery. When we finally made our way back to the trailhead we encountered a volunteer. He asked about our hike and we told him. His reaction was “that’s a pretty dangerous trail right now isn’t it?”. I didn’t really know what to say other than “Yes, that’s exactly how I’d describe it”.

The rest of the day involved a drive across the park on Trail Ridge Road. Beers and food at a great little spot in Winter Park, CO, and the bed that I am now sitting on. We’re all looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning before heading to Idaho Springs for another day of fun on Clear Creek.