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July 30 - August 5, 2006 Other Trips
For Day 2, we planned to relocate our campsite to the Andrews Creek backcountry site, hike an old favorite – Sky Pond – and time permitting, try a new hike up to Andrews Glacier.
First, we would have to backtrack to the Loch Junction, then navigate a steep but short series of switchbacks up to the Loch. The Loch, or Loch Vale as the surrounding region is know, is considered by some, including my dad, to be the prettiest area of the park.
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We took a brief break at the Loch before continuing around the lake to the West and up towards Timberline Falls. However, before reaching the falls, we branch off towards our campsite. The Andrews Creek backcountry site is a steep (especially carrying full packs) several hundred feet above the main trail towards Sky Pond. The camp is situated in a heavily wooded area alongside Andrews Creek. I found the site to be prettier than the Glacier Gorge site, but definitely not as conveniently located.
We arrived at camp to again find that the previous night’s guests had not left. (What is it with people who want to sleep in?) The camp was also occupied by a squatter who did not have a permit. We set up camp as best we could and hung our bear bags. Bear bags are sacks which you use to hang all food and other “smellables” while away from camp to prevent bears and, more commonly, rodents from destroying your camp. The park service provides a handy guide to hanging bear bags. Step 1 is to find a tree with limbs which allows you to hang the bags at least 4 feet from the trunk. Somehow unbeknownst to the rangers, lodgepole pines do not have many four-foot limbs, let alone limbs strong enough to hang bags four feet from the trunk! We did the best we could.
After assembling daypacks, it was on to Timberline Falls, Lake of Glass, and Sky Pond. Perhaps the best part of the hike to Sky Pond is the ascent of Timberline Falls. The brief scramble up alongside the falls is a lot of fun. Some years, the scramble is relatively dry. This year, the falls were really gushing and we actually had to go up a small cascade.
Glass Lake, or the more euphonious Lake of Glass, is usually anything but due to the wind. We took a brief break here for snacks. It was here that we met a couple who’s camera batteries had just expired. As it turns out, they were in luck, as I was practically a traveling Radio Shack during this trip. I had a lot of spares for my GPS, so I loaned them four and asked that they return them to the Alpine Trail Ridge Inn, where we would be staying the following night.
On to Sky Pond, where we took another break. Sky Pond is an impressive destination, both because of its size and the glacial cirque in which it sits. There is also a very nice meadow area between Glass and Sky. Fortunately, we made it back down to tree line just as the afternoon storm clouds rolled in. It was drizzling by the time we got back to camp and we all crashed.
I awoke at 4:00 p.m. to a brief lull in the rain. Christopher, Drew, and I decided to try hiking up to Andrew Glacier. The trail to the glacier is steep and rough. Most of the trail passes through a massive trough filled with rock called The Gash. The trail is well defined in some places, and only marked with occasional cairns in other places. About half-way up, the rain started to fall again, and we took shelter in a conveniently placed concavity in a cliff wall. After about 15 minutes, the rain started to let up and we pressed on. Towards the top, the rocks began to thin and yielded impressive wildflower displays, including columbines and, my favorite, elephant heads.
Amazingly, just as we crested the ridge bringing Andrews Glacier and Tarn into view, the sun finally broke free of the clouds. Shining from the west, it made looking at the Glacier, let alone photographing it, somewhat difficult, but we did the best we could. Sitting on the grassy shore of the tarn at 11,400 feet, basking in the afternoon sunlight, was an incredible experience. However, we had promised the other to return by 6:00 for dinner and so we had to hustle back down.
Back at camp, we made dinner, talked for a while, and then retired. It was a great day. Day 3 would take us to Dream and Emerald Lakes and then back to Estes Park.
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