2/28/97 - Black Lake (& beyond), Rocky Mountain National Park, ColoradoClass 1 Snowshoeing/Skiing, Elevation above Black Lake, ~11,200ft (~1,900 foot gain); ~5.5 miles each wayTrekkers:
When Tony and Karen planned their recent visit here, they said they wanted to do a longer snowshoe trek, so we discussed it and decided to try to make it to Frozen Lake (beyond Black Lake in Glacier Gorge). The weather was supposed to be fairly warm, but with a 70% chance of snow. We’re pretty much of the mind that we go no matter what the weather conditions. We got going fairly early (by our standards), and managed to get to the trail head by 8:45am. Surprisingly, when we arrived at the Glacier Gorge Junction parking lot, we found we were the first ones there! The temperature was about 25F and we had overcast skies, fairly short visibility, and light snow. We started up the trail and turned off to go up the drainage, which Tony and Karen hadn’t been on before. Because it was pretty warm, most of us started out with open pit vents, knowing we’d generate a lot of heat going up. We stopped briefly several times along the way: including the "beaver pond" and the hitching post, which was covered with probably a foot of snow. We were making really good time, and everyone was feeling good and enjoying the trek. Before long, we reached Mills Lake, where we stood and admired the views before we went on. Soon, we crossed the frozen lake and then crossed the tiny Jewel Lake, just south of Mills. The trail started getting a bit steeper here, and despite the increased effort, we continued to make very good time without hurrying. We kept hoping that the clouds would lift for awhile because the views on the way up to Black Lake are so stunning. Soon, the cloud cover seemed to lift a bit, and we could see Spearhead and all the way out to Stone Man Pass, plus the mountains and cliffs overlooking Glacier Gorge. Fantastic! After pausing to take in the opened up views, we continued on to Black Lake. While we were stopped for a short break, we heard voices, and then saw two other skiers coming up behind us — the first people we’d seen all day. They were moving pretty fast, and Ernie skied up with them, blazing a zigzagged trail up the hill which we straightened out as we gained the same altitude. He talked with them briefly, and found they were from Boulder. Soon we arrived at Black Lake, with Ernie and the Boulder couple getting there first. We talked for a few minutes about whether to continue on to Frozen Lake (we’d come about 4.5 miles already) and decided to take a break on the other side of the lake. The Boulder folks turned back. We went over around the edge of some trees and I saw this really steep hill up the drainage I started laughing (I think Ernie thought it sounded hysterical). After ten minutes of resting and talking, we noticed that not only had we cooled down, but the temps had dropped at least 5 degrees. We resisted putting on more layers, though, as we were about to start up the steep drainage section to the shelf above Black Lake and on the way to Frozen Lake. This section was tough on all of us. Very steep, and made more difficult because of the altitude (we were at almost 11,000ft). Ernie had to traverse back and forth up the hill and we walked up more directly, but we all had to stop every 50-75 feet to catch our breath. The snow pack was varied, almost in a pattern. Sometimes it was hard and wind-packed and stepping on it caused a plate of it to sink in 3 or 4" under our snowshoes. In other places, it was more powdery. The closer we got to the top, the colder and windier it got, until we crested the drainage and found ourselves almost in a blizzard and another 5 degrees colder, now about 15 degrees. When we reached the top, we worked our way around to the right and encountered still more wind and reduced visibility. We decided to stop and take a break with coffee and snacks. We discussed whether to go on to Frozen Lake. Because of the wind, heavier snow and reduced visibility (there wouldn’t be much to see at Frozen Lake), plus the fact that we were starting to get tired, we decided to turn back. Going back down the drainage to Black was easy! Well, it was for us snowshoe guys — Ernie was really struggling with it because of the snow conditions. We didn’t pause at the lake, but kept right on going, heading down through the heavy snowfall. Despite how tired everyone professed to be, Tony, Karen and Ernie took several opportunities to get off the trail onto rocks and jump off into the snow. Soon, we reached Mills Lake again, and we trudged four abreast across the frozen lake in the driving snow. We stopped for one last photo and then moved on. We made even better time coming down than we did going up. The snow conditions on the main trail were very good and Ernie was making very good time. By the time we’d gone down about half the drainage, we decided Ernie would head on down to the car and get it warmed up for us! Ernie was the official trip photographer, taking the excellent photos to the right. Thanks, Ernie! Soon, at about 3:30pm, we reached the parking lot where Ernie was waiting. He even had the snow cleared off the windows. We drove slowly back home where we had leftover the fantastic Mexican Cornbread, chili rellenos, and tamales. We were all very tired, but all reports the next day indicated no one was sore, but everyone had slept like a rock! |
 Karen, Tony and Mike rest after walking up from the Glacier Gorge TH parking lot.
One last photo at Mills Lake before we hurried down in heavy snow. |
