Hikers Enjoy RMNP Despite Setbacks

Prologue:

Weekly snow storms cancelled 3 consecutive hikes earlier this year.  That tossed the schedule upside down.  Add to that rigid and at times out of touch with reality rules by the forest service played havoc with the planning process.

The bus was to leave at 7:00 a.m.(an hour before previous hikes) to insure we would arrive at RMNP before 9:00 a.m.  After a brief wait for two registrants the van did leave.  The 11 High Country Hikers aboard would be the smallest group to hike this year.

While driving north on I-25, we learned one registrant cancelled and one missed the van and was now following behind it.  Normal traffic congestion and a line of park visitors at the park entrance caused some concern.  It was with less than 10 minutes to spare that the van passed the park security station on Bear Lake Road.  The road would be closed to all visitors at 9:00 a.m., so a major construction project could continue.

We had been in cell phone contact with the hiker following the van and provided instructions to meet us at the park shuttle bus station.  We later learned the hiker missed the shuttle turn-off and was headed to Glacier Gorge TH.

At that point, the group boarded a shuttle bus bound for the TH.  On arrival, we learned when the hiker arrived, there were no parking spaces remaining at the TH.  The hiker returned to the shuttle bus station to park and board a bus.  The hiker had to wait for a bus going to the Glacier Gorge TH.  Finally, minutes before 10:00 a.m., the hiker arrived.  The group was complete.



Ready to hike...not quite.  Trip leader, Ed was in conversation with a park ranger who when she learned what our planned route for the day was, firmly advised we not hike there due to snow.  A plan "B" was quickly developed and now the real story can begin.

Many of the higher elevations in the park have an abundance of snow.  As a result, the new plan would start at the Glacier Gorge TH (9,240'), and follow Glacier Gorge Trail .8 mi. to Alberta Falls, and return.  This popular trail maintained that reputation today. The youngest we saw was an 8-week-old infant in a mothers' breast sling.  The oldest, any number of seniors we encountered on trail.  Possibly one or more in our group may qualify for the dubious honor.

Alberta Falls on Glacier Gorge Trail.

Water from Alberta Falls thunders 30' down a gorge on Glacier Creek.  Named after Alberta Sprague, wife of an original settler in Estes Park in 1874, the site is a favorite spot for rest breaks.

We return to a junction with Glacier Creek Trail, and follow it through Prospect Canyon.  Trail here seemed more like a stroll in a local park, not RMNP.  The canyon does have history.  It was originally carved out by a glacier.  The canyon floor rests at 9,015' el.  Glacier Creek is popular with fly fishermen because it is loaded with both brook and brown trout.

Hikers have a clear view of the snow-capped peaks of RMNP

Arriving at the junction with Boulder Brook Trail, a call for lunch was heard.   So amidst the sprouting Aspen, the group spread out looking for a downed tree, rock outcropping, or shaded spot, to recharge their battery.

Then it was on to the .3 mi. spur trail leading across Glacier Creek to Storm Pass TH.  Views from trail in this short distance are some of the most dramatic in the park.  One has unobstructed views of Notchtop Mountain (12,129'), Flattop Mountain (12,324'), Hallett Peak (12,713'), and Otis Peak (12,486') all in a row to the west.  Plus the Continental Divide follows the horizon.

Bierstadt Lake trail.

After crossing Bear Lake Road, we follow the .2 mi. spur trail to Bierstadt Lake TH (8,860').  The next 1.3 mi. would be the 'get the heart pumping' part of the day.  Trail here is littered with exposed and loose rock as it slithers up slope via numerous moderate to long switchbacks.

High Country Hikers negotiate another switchback on their way to Bierstadt Lake.

The climb totals 556' elevation gain before reaching the lake.  Bierstadt Lake rests on a large lateral moraine - lateral moraines are parallel ridges of debris deposited along the sides of a glacier.  Because lateral moraines are deposited on top of the glacier, as the glacier melts, lateral moraines are usually preserved as high ridges.

The park ranger was correct.  At less than 8,900,' there were snow fields around Bierstadt Lake today.  No snow on trail, thank goodness.

High Country Hikers enjoying the day.  (L to R) Nancy Bralic, Kathy Tetrick, Judy Shaw, Ed Blum, Lela Shepherd, John Tedrick, Marsha McBurnett, Penny Geise, and Monica Richard. Photo by Gary Alleman, Happy Trails Photography, Aurora, CO.

Despite the morning setbacks, the group remained in good spirits both enroute to RMNP and during the slow-moving return down I-25 at the end of the day.  A double rainbow was spotted to the east as we approached I-70, making it truly one of the more scenic hikes of 2013.  

Total miles = 6.8

Total elevation gain = 706'