Lake Haiyaha

Starting at Bear Lake, the trail to Lake Haiyaha passes through some of the most beautiful scenery in the park. After visiting Nymph Lake, we headed up the trail to Dream Lake. I may have been there 100 times, but it is always a little different depending on the sunlight, the clouds, the wind and the time of day. It never disappoints.

From Dream Lake, we turned left and up the hill toward Lake Haiyaha. Flowers were still plentiful on the mountainside to our right. Mountain Goldenrod, Fireweed, and Star-flowered Pyrola were tucked away in the rocky nooks. But one intrepid hiker (was it Evan or Jordan?) found the heart-shaped rock embedded in the trail.

 

Making our way over the last boulders, Lake Haiyaha came into view. Completely different than all its neighbors, it is surrounded by large boulders and protected by an 800 year old limber pine. There's room for everyone to find the perfect rock for lunch, accompanied by a fresh wild raspberry for dessert.



Our group at Lake Haiyaha in no particular order - Rich, Kevin, Margy, Patricia, Elaine, Maggie, Bob, Evan with Muneca, Jordan, Gaylee, Betty, Linda, John, Bob, Rich, Maribeth, Nancy

Keplinger Lake

Beyond Sandbeach Lake lies an area that is rarely visited. We wound our way up a faint and very steep trail toward Mt Orton. As we reached the tundra, views of magnificent mountains opened up on all sides. To the north, we could see Meeker, Longs, and Pagoda. Our destination was Keplinger Lake at the southern base of Pagoda, still looking quite far away.

Once past Mt Orton and up on the ridge, the going got easier. Some tundra, a drop down into Hunter's Creek and an easy half mile up the drainage, we arrived at our destination. The ridges of Pagoda surround Keplinger Lake and almost curve back on top of you with their contrasting bands of rock.

We wasted no time digging into our lunches at the lake. It had been a long 7 and a half miles. After the rock skipping and rock misfire competition, we posed for our group photo: Linda, Kevin, Bob, Beth, Brendan, Rich, Richard (with Muneca) and Maggie.


Muneca and Geoffrey thoroughly enjoyed their second date, although we didn't allow them much private time on the rock. We wanted to get down off the rough terrain before any storm hit.


Making our way back up Orton Ridge, we could see back into the main part of Wild Basin. Thunder, Box and Eagle Lakes were below us, and in the distance, Mt Alice rose on the skyline. The heavens did finally open on us, but not until we were back on the trail heading down from Sandbeach Lake. A few flashes of lightning and the immediate thunder were uncomfortably close, but we made it down safely, drenched and exhausted.

Parika Lake and the Raspberry Moose

It is always a treat to head over to the west side of the park. Yes, the drive is long and you have to get up earlier, but you get a chance to experience what happens when you mix gorgeous Colorado mountains with a generous amount of moisture. Throw in the fact that you almost always see herds of elk up on Trail Ridge Road at sunrise, and why not go visit.

Today we set out for one of my favorite places - Parika Lake. It's actually just outside the park at the very southern edge of the Never Summers. Big trees, plenty of undergrowth, and delicious raspberries 3 miles into the hike. A perfect place for a short break, although Bob and I could have spent the entire hike right there.

I am always on a moose hunt when I head to the west side, but I usually expect to see them on the valley floor along the river, not 6 miles up the trail and almost at tree line. Nate was leading us, came around a corner, and came face to face with Mr Moose. I think his heart is still pounding.

Parika Lake is always stunning. Last year I was here the same week and snow filled the other side of the valley. This year, all was green.

Many flowers were still blooming on the west side, but the mountain gentian remain one of my favorites. The blue is so deep and rich, and yet they remind me that the end of summer is fast approaching.

Parika Lake - Annie, Elliot, Nate, Kim, Kevin, Angie, Dennis, Bob, Dick, Ricardo (and Muneca), Catherine and Maggie

Storm Peak

Rain on the way to the trailhead. Would the mountains allow us to climb today or not? The drizzle had stopped but clouds were swirling overhead as we started out. On the ridge just before Chasm Junction it looked like we might be granted our wish. Longs Peak came into view along with patches of blue sky.

We continued on the trail almost to the Boulderfield, and then cut out toward Storm Peak. Did we mention that there were plenty of rocks to climb? Boulders to climb, boulders to stick to, boulders that rocked under your feet, and more boulders beyond that.

At the summit at least the clouds were higher than us. We had a strange foggy view down into Glacier Gorge directly below us. Cory, Mar Margaret, Theresa, Ian, Tom, Maggie, Marilyn, Allie, Annie and Muneca on the summit.

And of course we had to go back down all those wonderful boulders on the return trip. Somehow they seemed a little easier on the way down.

We were off the ridges and back towards the main trail before the rain finally hit. We had one last view up to Longs amidst the acres of boulders.

Grace Falls

From Bear Lake to Lake Helene, the trail is beautiful. While it is a little parched around Estes Park, at 9000 feet, it is still lush and full of flowers. At Lake Helene we left the maintained trail and picked our way down the old trail into the head of Odessa Gorge. 

Across meadows, pools, streams, and up through a rocky knob, we finally topped out to a view of Grace Falls tumbling down the top of the gorge.

Muneca found yet another new friend. Last years larger Geoffrey has been replaced by someone a little more her size. You can see the smiles from both.

Wildlife

A warm and quiet morning. Perfect for making that cup of coffee last for hours while sitting on the porch and watching the wildlife. The hummingbirds appear to have settled down a little. Last week the rufous hummingbird was a tyrant, terrorizing the broadtailed hummingbirds who tried to settle on one of the feeders. Another rufous came along and bravely clung to the feeder while being harrassed by the other. The tyrant charged the other, eventually hovering over his head and giving him repeated noogies with his beak, to no avail. A tiny calliope hummingbird appeared on the scene this morning. Hopefully the truce will be upheld and they can all partake of the sugar water in peace.

But another creature really caught my eye this morning. At first it was just an unusual white stripe against the bark of a pine. Then we saw that it was some exotic sort of squirrel. Very friendly, it let us get up close and take lots of photos. No idea what it is, but it made my day. A true individual.

Estes Cone

I am continuing to revist some old destinations this week. Richard's hike to Horsetooth was cancelled, so instead we decided to hike to Estes Cone. We started at Lily Lake instead of Longs Peak, in order to investigate the Storm Pass.. The trail from Lily Lake is beautiful, with huge stone retaining walls and stone steps as it winds its way around the east side of Estes Cone.

From the summit, you have an incredible view. Meeker, Longs, and Mt Lady Washington to the south. Flattop, Hallet and Otis to the southwest. Sprague and Stones to the west. The Mummies to the north. And Twin Sisters to the east.

Storm clouds were gathering once again as we returned to Lily Lake. We are finally getting into the afternoon thunderstorm pattern that evaded us through all of June and early July.

Mitchell and Blue

The bad news - my hike to Timber Lake was cancelled because there was only one hiker signed up. The good news - the lone hiker was my good friend Katie. We decided to go to Mitchell and Blue even though I had been there on Wednesday. The weather was perfect, and we had time to enjoy the sights along the way. We stopped to take in the view up Mt Audubon from Mitchell Lake. Two fishermen had waded out and were casting into the deep blue waters. One had a black lab at his side, calmly wading in the water, not disturbing the fish.

We stopped for a very long lunch at Blue Lake. The clouds and the light changed continously, highlighting different aspects of Mt Toll as it shifted.

If you have a dog, the Indian Peaks allow you to bring along your four legged friend on a leash. We saw plenty of wonderful dogs on our hike, but Lux stole my heart. I should have gotten a photo with Muneca as they are about the same size, but I was afraid she might become a chew toy.

Pawnee and Toll

The theme of revisiting amazing places continued today in the Indian Peaks. Starting up the Long Lake trail our first stop was the overlook to Lake Isabelle. Despite the drought, the lake is full now. Navajo, Apache and Shoshone beckon at the end of the valley, but we are headed up Pawnee Pass to the next drainage.

Once at the continental divide on Pawnee Pass, we made a right turn to head to the top of Pawnee. At the summit, incredibly blue skies, a few wispy clouds, a very slight breeze, and views for miles.

Down the rocks on the back side of Pawnee, across the saddle, and up the bigger rocks to the top of Mt Toll. Nothing is easy at this altitude, but every effort is worth it.

Due to the low snow winter and warm spring, there was virtually no snow to slide down toward Blue Lake. We did find a 30 foot stretch for some slipping and sliding and falling.

Making sure that we were off the rocks before the weather might turn on us, we finally rested for lunch on the banks of Blue Lake. Looking back up at Mt Toll we were proud of what we had accomplished. Four miles of trail to go - piece of cake, despite the sore knees and feet.

Spectacle Lakes

What a start to a week of revisiting some of my all time favorite destinations in the Rockies. Today we headed up toward the base of Mt Ypsilon to Spectacle Lakes. After a quick start up the moraine we crossed the Roaring River and wound our way through the forest up to Chipmunk Pond. Our first views of the Mummy Range were waiting for us, reflected in the lake.


Above Ypsilon Lake, the fun begins. Did we mention that there would be rocks? Boulder sized rocks, slabs of rocks, rocks in the midst of a waterfall. Trust the shoes and keep heading up.

After topping out over the last slabs, we were rewarded with lower Spectacle Lake, completely surrounded by rocks. Being so deep, it is inky blue, like an inversion of the mountain that towers above. Mt Ypsilon rises overhead, the rocks bands curving around and holding you in a bowl.

A double YMCA posed for the group photo - Tom, Tommie, Richard, Annie, Glenn, Jamie, Mike and Maggie. Muneca is hiding in Tommie's pocket..


And to make it even a better day, Richard and I celebrated our 29th anniversary at the lake. Tommie and Theresa were also celebrating their 35th today.

Grace Falls

While the wildflowers at lower elevations have virtually vanished for the season, the subalpine wildflowers are still beautiful. Wet meadows are carpeted with all shades of purple, yellows and red.

Muneca and friends downstream from Grace Falls.


Returning up the remains of the old trail to Odessa Gorge, we had incredible views back to Notchtop and Grace Falls cascading down near its base.

The return trip winds its way back through the forest. Occasional viewpoints look out over Bierstadt Lake and other areas to the north. After the Flattop turnoff, the trail swings to the other side, and Glacier Gorge comes into view with Half Mountain, Longs Peak, Keyboard of the Winds, Pagoda, Chiefshead and Thatchtop on the horizon and Spearhead poking up just in front of Chiefshead.