Pacified. I don't like leaving things unfinished. It feels wrong, and it bothers me if something is half completed. Maybe that's the perfectionist in me, that Type A personality, or whatever, but this aversion to unfulfilled tasks is what led Torrey and I to plan an ambitious ten mile dayhike in between backpacking treks while at Rocky Mountain National Park in August. We had attempted to hike up to Sky Pond last year after our epic hike to Andrew's Glacier, but were forced to give it up and turn around less than half a mile from our goal due to a storm that blew in off the Continental Divide. This year we were determined to finish it.
We got up and packed our camp at Glacier Basin as the sun rose, driving to the trailhead where we would leave to go backpacking later in the day. We caught the park's shuttle up to Sky Pond's trail and finally began. We hiked quickly, feeling as light as a feather without our heavy backpacks, flying up the mountain trail to our first stop at The Loch. We had stopped at this gorgeous pond on our previous hike in the area and it still ranks as one of the prettiest mountain lakes I've had the pleasure of hiking to. We took a lot of pictures, spending about twenty minutes enjoying the early morning and mountain views before continuing on.
We continued to make great time up until we began the approach to Timberline Falls. Here, I lagged behind. The trail becomes steep and slippery, with wooden and stone steps cutting into the mountain in front of you. If I learned anything on this trip its that climbing is my downfall; whether that is actually climbing up something or otherwise using my feet (and still sometimes hands) to gain elevation. I can handle coming down like nobody's business, but if you ask me to go up something I will come in dead last. Oh well, something for me to work on, right? Once I finally reached the falls the fun really began: we had to climb them. Yes, I mean actually climb up a waterfall. It was scary, trying to climb up the slippery, wet rocks while water rushed down next to you, but I made it up after much huffing and puffing and cursing. I was greeted by Glass Lake at the top, stretching from the falls back almost as far as I could see. Last year the lake was grey and choppy, stirred by the storm; this year a calm lake lay at our feet, surrounded by deep green trees under a bright and sunny sky.
Torrey and I spent a little time at Glass Lake, taking in the view, before finding the trail that winds along next to it on the approach to Sky Pond. Beyond Glass Lake, the trail is amazing. Beautiful wetland meadows full of flowers lay in between small rocky rises and the stream that feeds both Glass Lake and Timberline Falls splashes and plays among small cascades. When we finally reached Sky Pond under blue skies it was to see a clear, deep green alpine lake just above treeline, fed by one of the few glaciers left in the park. We clambered down to the water's edge, picking a spot in the sun and enjoying a few well-earned snacks next to the gorgeous little pond. Time seemed to stand still while we sat there, and we only decided to leave when we ran out of snacks.
The return trip flew by, with Torrey and I fast walking, sometimes jogging, down the trail past other hikers on their way up. We reached the trailhead in record time, marking our fastest round trip hiking time at 10.40 miles in four and a half hours, including stops at The Loch, Glass Lake, Sky Pond, Timberline Falls, and other short rests (where I took pictures of waterfalls) along the way. I'm still not completely sure how we managed to hike up and down the mountain so fast, with the only plausable explanation being that we had grown used to mountain climbing with heavy packs, and once we removed those we could fly.
We're more than halfway through my Rocky Mountain Adventures, but I'm not done yet! Read my other stories about The Eclipse here, Skeleton Gulch here, Box Canyon here, Thunder Pass here, and Glacier Basin here.
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