Hollowell Park to Cub Lake

Definitely my most ambitious hike yet. Well over ten miles, well over 2000 feet of elevation change, this hike took me from 8:30 in the morning until after 7 pm. Yes, that's pretty darn slow. But I took it slow and easy, ambled along, took almost an hour for lunch, and another hour at cub lake. I started out at Hollowell Park, elevation around 8400 feet. Nice gentle upslope walk. Uphill. And up, and up. Way up. Way, way, way up. The rise is steady but gentle, uphill for almost four miles. I saw several other hikers in the first two miles. Then the trail splits, one way going up south to Bierstadt lake and Bear Lake, and the other going up north to Cub Lake. I went north, and didnt' see another person for the next six hours. The trail kept going up, but the rise was gentle enough. You finally reach the top, somewhere around 10,500 feet, in a saddle between Steep Mountain and Mount Wuh. No joke, those are the names of the peaks on each side. This is HIGH. At the top is where I stopped for lunch. Nice views. Over the ridge, the trail starts downhill, and wow, does it get steep. I would never be able to make the trip the other way. It is almost a climb down, way down, way way down. You drop probably 700 feet in less than a mile. It is STEEP down. About two-thirds of the way down, you finally begin to see Cub Lake below.

Cub Lake is gorgeous. This is the lake that I walked completely around two years ago, without realizing that the trail only goes along one side. I found myself bushwacking for about half a mile along the marshy shoreline.

I spent about an hour just relaxing on the shore. I had the whole lake to myself for quite a while.

All good things must come to an end. I finally left and walked the final three miles back to the Cub Lake Trailhead, and caught the park shuttlebus back to the parking lot at Hollowell Park. Great day. Fantastic day.