Bear Lake Hike -- June 28

Even though I'm posting this Saturday morning, the post refers to a hike I took Thursday, June 28.

On the final day of my vacation, I decided to see how well I've adjusted to the rare air. I've always dreamed of hiking up past Bear Lake, taking the trail to the base of Hallett Peak. The trail guides say there are three gorgeous lakes up there past Bear Lake, each one less than a mile from the next. I figured I'd take this trail and see how far I could get before I ran out of breath.

The day was completely overcast. On the drive up, rainclouds and thunderstorms were threatening from every direction. I stopped at a trailhead -- ironically it was the Storm Pass Trail -- and decided to get in a quick little hike before the storms hit. Luckily, the clouds broke for a couple of minutes and blue sky peeked out, so I got a couple of photos -- two of which you see below -- from this trail. The first two pictures below show the ultimate destination of my "lake" hike: Hallett Peak. Hallett Peak is about eight miles distant in these pictures.

Hallett Peak is the slanted butte in the center of the picture. If you look closely in the saddle to the right of Hallett Peak, you can see Tyndale Glacier, whose meltwater is the source of the lakes, -- including Bear Lake.

By the time I got back down from Storm Pass, it had completely clouded up, and the sun never came out again the rest of the day. But fortunately, it never rained, although it thundered all day long.

I started out by hiking completely around Bear Lake, one of the most picturesque lakes in the park. I felt good. I had a Snickers bar, some Planter's nuts, my inhaler, and a half-gallon of water in my backpack, so I decided to see how far I could make it up the Emerald Lake trail. The trailhead at Bear Lake is about 10,000 feet above sea level. and you climb up to almost 11,000 feet in less than three miles, making it fairly agressive for a 50-year-old pot-bellied gray-haired asthmatic old man. But I made it all the way, and even made it back safely!

Incidentally, Bear Lake (the lower three photos here) is one of the most common pictures seen on Colorado and Rocky Mountain post cards. If you download these pictures and look at them full-screen sized, I think you'll agree with me that they are some of the prettiest pictures I've ever taken. And keep in mind, the day was overcast. Imagine how pretty this lake would be in sunshine!