West of Denver on the mostly 2-lane highway 285, a short ways before the iconic Kenosha Pass, there’s a jagged dirt road up to the trailhead for Gibson Lake. This was meant to be an easy hike for us: relatively low mileage and good scenery. However, we hadn’t accounted for the amount of smoke in the air from the northern part of Colorado being on fire.

As we started up the trail, it felt as though we were trying to hike while smoking a mouthful of cigarettes. Obvious health issues aside, it also made the hike much more difficult. It also made for some stunning scenery.

After coughing our way up mile one, we paused for a water break beside a section of creek. Having stopped, we were able to notice flecks of ash spiraling out of the sky like snowflakes. Maybe we should have brought along some N95s, one of us commented.

The trail had started at high altitude, and did nothing but ascend rapidly. It wasn’t long before the undergrowth started to become more dominant and the trees took on more gnarled forms, indicating the approach of the tree-line.

As we entered the krummholz (that region of crooked trees, right before they go away entirely), we noticed that the smoke had begun to clear, and we were breathing a little more easily.

Whale Peak, a 13er and a mountain on the Continental Divide, came into view as we rounded a bend into the final part of the valley. Ascending from Gibson Lake to the peak is not generally considered a difficult task, even though the route lacks a true trail. However, we decided that Whale Peak would not be on our dossier for that day, given the unusual conditions.

The final stretch of trail took on a more gentle slope as we approached the lake. Lack of trees and abundance of water meant that we were mostly met by fields of wildflowers in this area, a hallmark of late summer in the Rockies.

Suddenly, after crossing one final slope, we were at Gibson Lake. The waters gleamed, and despite there having been numerous cars parked at campsites on our drive to the trailhead, we had the lake to ourselves. The aforementioned breeze kept the reflections on the water from being too clear, but the moment still would have verged on peaceful (if not for the airplanes flying overhead).

Destination reached, views taken in and enjoyed, legs rested, we gathered our things back together and headed back down towards the car. It had been a straightforward hike on a well-maintained trail, the best kind. Although easier than our normal hikes (just shy of 6 miles round-trip), this was perhaps for the best considering the air we were breathing. Our next hike would have to involve either waiting until the forest fires in Colorado were out, or going much further afield.

Thanks for reading!

~Sky & Ty