Seasons greetings from the Overcast Adventurers! With the new year just around the corner, and the sizable intermission since our last post, Skyler and I thought it might be nice to get one more 2016 blog in. Our hike was one that is iconic to Colorado: the Emerald Lake trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. Never heard of it? Just look on the back of any Colorado quarter from the United States Mint, and you’ll see some of the views from our ascent.

In order to beat the inevitable crowds on this one, Skyler, myself, and our friend Kristen left Denver around 4am. It’s been a calm winter so far in Colorado this year, and the roads up to Estes Park were blessedly clear. We didn’t encounter ice until getting well into Rocky Mountain National Park. Only a couple darkened cars were at the trailhead, and we started the hike in relative silence at 5am.

The trail was trampled and well-defined in the snow, making our snowshoes seem superfluous. Nymph Lake was less than a mile in, and the sun was still below the horizon as we crossed the blue ice. It was after Nymph that we came across several splits in the snow trail. From what we could tell they mostly ended up reconnecting, but the divergences did add some confusion.

Just over half a mile of uphill hiking later we reached Dream Lake, and the popular view that came with it. The sun was just starting to rise as we stepped out onto the lake. Only a few other hikers were there to witness the alpenglow being cast over Hallett Peak, and the spiky ridge beside it. Some squirrels and birds greeted the incoming light with us. However, a stiff breeze kept any warmth from affecting us.

We spent almost an hour taking in the views here before deciding to move on. After all, we still hadn’t reached our destination.

0.7 miles is the distance from Dream Lake to Emerald Lake, according to an NPS map. Reaching Emerald Lake, then, brought our mileage to about 1.5. Normally we wouldn’t shoot so low, but the views made the disappointing ease worthwhile. Nobody else had yet reached Emerald Lake that morning, and we took the opportunity to explore.

The slope on the south side of the lake, normally coarse and rocky, were made smooth by the snow, and provided excellent glissading for Skyler. Emerald Lake was also more enclosed by the surrounding rocks and greenery, nullifying the wind that had been biting at us before. We were at least able to get some feeling back into our hands.

Sunlight illuminated Tyndall Gorge above the lake, and our small party started back down the trail. Dream Lake had a crowd upon it as we passed back through. The ice was cracked and jagged in several areas, and we couldn’t remember if it had been that way before. However, it gave us no trouble as we walked across it.

Numerous other hikers, who were moving slowly in with the daylight, passed by us. It seemed that arriving early had been a good idea.

Between Dream Lake and Nymph Lake was a small overlook, which provided a rather dramatic view of the wind-battered Longs Peak (which Skyler wrote about here).

Altogether, the trail involved 3 miles of hiking, and very little elevation gain. We arrived back at the trailhead parking at 9:30am. The lot, which had previously held maybe 4 cars in the earlier morning, was now half full. The rangers had just begun scraping up ice and chatting with the other hikers. Skyler, Kristen, and I didn’t stick around to talk with them. None of us had packed a breakfast, and we were all in desperate need of a good cafe. With that goal in mind, we waved goodbye to the lakes and left. Of course, Rocky Mountain National Park has many other adventures to offer, and Skyler and I will return again someday to this remarkable place.

Until next time…

~Sky & Ty

(Pictures courtesy of Skyler Stanley, words courtesy of Tyler Brant)