Astounded. What in the world could possibly want to make two backpackers hike more? Well, for starters: better views. Also, if Torrey and I hadn't decided to hike Thunder Pass, almost on a whim, then we would have missed out on one of the most scenic hikes I've ever done. She and I had just made it to our second backpacking camp site of our week-long trip and had found it still occupied by the previous night's backpackers. Instead of waiting around for them to leave and making it awkward for everyone, we decided to stash our packs next to the trail and go for a short hike to the nearby mountain pass.
The hike took us across a wide meadow that we ended up camping by that night, then dove back into the forest for a bit before spitting us out at treeline. I'm pretty sure both of us stopped in amazement at what we faced when the trees broke apart: a cirque of green grass bowled out in front of us, full of little yellow and white wildflowers, while little stunted trees collectively called the krumholtz dotted the path up to the pass. A little brook was already babbling as it raced away from its snowfield source, growing stronger every few feet as seep springs bubbled up out of the grass to swell its waters.
The sun beat down on us in between fluffy white clouds moving across the sky, making us stop and apply sunscreen before continuing. We would roast alive if we tried to hike above treeline without protection. Here and there we spotted piles of bear feces, reminders that we were only frail visitors in their world, and nothing more. The trail to the pass wasn't exactly easy, and the more we climbed the more we gained in elevation, which really equals out to less oxygen and colder temperatures. That didn't stop us, though, because we were so determined to make it to the pass.
The hike wasn't just a joy hike, though it definitely was one of those too. No, Torrey and I had had Thunder Pass in our crosshairs since we knew we were going to be hiking so close, because Thunder Pass marks the northern boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park. We wanted to be able to say we had hiked over the park border, not just drove over it like the vast majority of visitors. Hiking up to Thunder Pass was bragging rights, in whatever twisted sense, and I definitely wanted to have that accomplishment under my belt. The beauty of the trail was a perk I had not expected, but gave a whole new purpose to our hike. After passing a few small alpine ponds and a snow field, we finally reached the pass and stopped short, staring at the tundra spread below us.
We overlooked a series of glacial tarns, threaded by a small silver river that splashed down cascade after cascade until it ran out of sight in the valley below our feet. The world on the other side of the park border was just as beautiful as the one we had just hiked up, and I was itching to continue on, wanting to explore farther. If we had been better prepared for a long hike, instead of the two miles to and from the pass, we might have gone on, leaving the pass and Rocky Mountain National Park to explore the valley below. Instead we turned to the west and climbed up a small hill that felt like a mountain, that we later discovered it wasn't named at all. From the top we looked back over the valley we had hiked the day before, dense with forest and hazy in the midday sun. Eventually we headed back down through the cirque to our camp site, but not before I promised myself I would hike beyond the pass one day, or perhapse hike up to the pass from outside the park. It is a place that definitely needs to be explored.
Want to read about the adventures we had to get to Thunder Pass? Read here, here, and here.
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