The waning crescent moon glowed luminously above the cerulean backdrop of the mid-October sunrise over Rocky Mountain National Park. I felt a hint of relief from the colorful display, having almost completely missed out on the autumn season of hiking between work and moving to a new part of Denver. But here I was, ready to start a hike I’d never embarked on, primed to decompress from the stresses of existence in pristine natural beauty. Fortunately, snow wasn’t in the forecast until the following day.

Today’s endeavor was to hike to Odessa Lake and my approach was admittedly not the ideal trail to chase the tail-end of this year’s autumn colors. Back in the throes of tumultuous 2020, the human-caused East Troublesome Fire—the second largest in Colorado’s history—completely devastated almost 200,000 acres of land. The blaze took about a month and a half to fully contain. The fire had started in national forestland near Kremmling and had spread east, reaching as far as Rocky Mountain National Park. The vast majority of today’s trail wound through a portion of the burn’s scar on the park.

I was fortunately aware of this in advance and figured I’d be content if I even bore witness to a single colorful aspen. I soon found this contentment after about a mile of hiking west in the dim dawn light.

The first two miles of the trail followed alongside the Big Thompson River at the bottom of Forest Canyon. The way was flat and I maintained a quick pace. Notable elevation gain commenced as the trail snaked south nearby the confluence(s) of the Big Thompson River, Spruce Creek, and Fern Creek.

I ascended briefly past a meadow before reaching a series of switchbacks through the expansive sea of charred trees.

I’ve expressed the sentiment previously: while there is a certain melancholy in witnessing these enormous arboreal graveyards, there is also hope to be found in the new life springing up at one’s feet. I continued on.

I heard the cacophonous roar of Fern Falls as I rounded one of the switchbacks and it was here I took my first extended water break.

After snapping many pictures of the falls, and with a granola bar’s worth of refueling, I resumed the trek.

The switchbacks soon leveled out as I neared Fern Lake. The occasional gust of wind had no leaves to rustle on the seared tree branches above, but whispers of the breeze in the grasses underneath could still be heard. 

I found Fern Lake to be a most welcoming sight. Sunlight painted the landscape high above the lake’s waters. I could imagine why the scores of deceased trees surrounding the lake may have detracted from the natural splendor to some, but I remained enchanted by the scenery.

I spent little time during my ascent at Fern lake, not wanting to lose the quick pace I had been maintaining thus far. Taking additional pictures of Fern Lake could wait until my descent later.

The trail looped swiftly around Fern Lake’s eastern banks and began sharply rising in altitude to the south and then to the west. The grade was steep and consistent, and as I ascended, I took in a new perspective of Fern Lake that could only be seen through the frame of the dead trees high above.

I passed by a junction to Lake Helene—which Ty and I covered in another blog—and in no time had arrived at Odessa Lake.

Bitter, stinging winds whipped the lake’s surface. The air was brisk. Though it was mid-morning by the time I had reached the lake, the sun was still mostly behind Joe Mills Mountain to the east, and I was happy to have packed my gloves. I spent time pacing the lake’s northern shore after unloading my pack, looking to capture the scenery.

It wasn’t difficult: the landscape was glorious. The prominent ‘Little Matterhorn’ towered over the lake toward the south. Mid-morning light painted the contours of Knobtop and Knotchtop Mountains behind the Little Matterhorn.

With my time constrained only by social obligations back home, I began my way back sooner than I would have liked. As planned, I stopped briefly back at Fern Lake for a few more pictures.

The remainder of the journey back down was uneventful. Odessa Lake is unquestionably a worthwhile destination, but it certainly would have been interesting to have seen that trail prior to the East Troublesome Fire. Thank you so much for reading. Until next time, stay cool!