7/8/97 - Bear Lake across
Continental Divide to Grand Lake via Flattop Mountain
& Hallett Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park,
Colorado
 Class 1, 2 & 3 Hiking,
Elevation at Hallett Peak, 12,713 ft.
Elev at Bear Lake, 9,475'. Elevation at Grand Lake (North
Inlet TH), 8,526'; Westbound gain/loss was 3,238'/4,187'.
Eastbound gain/loss was 4,187'/3,238'. ~18 miles total
Hikers:
Tuesday, July 8, 1997: Across the High Divide
By Mike Molloy and Alan Silverstein. Digital
Photos by Ernie and Mike.
One summer day we walked across Rocky Mountain
National Park in opposite directions. Mike Molloy and
Ernie Petrocine hiked west from Bear Lake while Alan
Silverstein went east from Grand Lake. We swapped
vehicles at the start so each party walked to their own
car to drive home.
Either way the total distance was 18.2 miles as best
we could figure it from map study and posted signs. The
direct distance between the trailheads is about 9.7
miles.
Here are our intertwined stories.
May 1: Alan hurts himself again
Alan: In a move reminiscent of five days before
my Bear Lake to Milner Pass hike several years ago (but
that's another trip report), I sprained my
ankle during a workout. But this time it was my left
ankle, the one that's had chronic problems.
Mid-to-late June: Alan gets medical advi$e; also
"meets" Mike
Alan: Bad news: This time my ankle didn't get
better fast, so I saw a podiatrist, twice; the second
time, to admit defeat and order orthotic$ for de feet.
Good news: They were already on order at the time of this
hike. Bad news: They hadn't arrived yet.
Around this same time I read one of Mike's trip
reports after he announced it in rec.backcountry. I was
impressed with the style of it, adjacent to quality
photos, and we got to chatting by email (without ever
meeting in person). This led to a plan to hike east/west
across the Divide with a similar car swap to the one Ron
Miller and I engineered for the north/south adventure a
few years ago. Mike's suggestion was to do it on a
weekday when the weather was decent and the crowds (on
the trails AND roads) would be minimal -- he was SO
right.
Mike: The week before this hike began, I had an
ongoing email conversation with Alan, one of the most
prolific hikers I know of. I've read and enjoyed many of
his trip reports, and have actively used his excellent Locations in RMNP list.
When I mentioned that I was training to prepare for
Longs Peak and that I was interested in hiking across the
Continental Divide from Bear Lake to Grand Lake via
Flattop Mountain, he proposed we swap cars at the RMNP
entrance. Then Ernie and I would leave his car at Bear
Lake and he would leave my car at the North Inlet
trailhead at Grand Lake. We would each hike over to our
own cars, meeting somewhere along the way to return the
spare key we'd used. Ernie and I thought this sounded
good, though Alan's hike over from Grand Lake was much
tougher than coming from Bear Lake.
There was some question the day before about going, as
Ernie felt a sore throat and fever coming on. He didn't
want to cancel though, and in fact told me he was doing
an "experiment" to see how a tough hike would
help or hurt the onset of an illness. After working out
all the details via email, we agreed to meet at 0630 at
the main RMNP Visitor Center to switch cars.
Tuesday, July 8, 0630: Car swap
Alan: I got up at o-dark-60 to make the
hour-long drive up to Estes Park. Mike and Ernie arrived
at the RMNP Visitor Center soon after I did and we met
for the first time in person. My first thought was,
"These are young slender healthy guys. Compared to
them I'm a fat lame old gelding. I hope they don't
notice."
Mike: Ernie arrived at my house (near Estes
Park) about 0610 and we had a cup of coffee before
heading out. Ernie and I were on time and found Alan
already there, cleaning the windows on his car! Such
service! (grin)
We met face-to-face for the first time, exchanging car
keys at the same time we exchanged handshakes. After
going over various contingencies that could arise (mostly
from a car or a hiker breaking down), we went our
separate ways, Alan honking the horn of my car as we
turned off onto Bear Lake Road. I smiled as I had a
fleeting silly thought that perhaps Alan was part of a
complicated and hitherto unheard of "hiker's car
theft ring" (grin).
Alan: I was impressed with Mike entrusting his
car to someone he'd just met on email, but then again I'd
just done the same thing, hadn't I? It seemed like a fair
hostage exchange. And I had the better part of the deal
since my car wasn't going over Trail Ridge Road (grin).
Mike and Ernie had maybe 20 minutes to drive up the
road into the heart of RMNP, while I had over an hour to
Grand Lake.
Mike: Ernie and I arrived at the trailhead at a
bit before 0700 and parked and secured Alan's car. We
sorted through our gear and ran one last checklist. One
of the most important items was a water filter, since
neither of us carried much more than a liter of water at
any given time.
0710: Mike and Ernie depart Bear Lake Trailhead,
9475'
Mike: After assuring ourselves that we were
ready (and with Ernie laughing at the fact that I always
brought way more stuff than I needed), we hit the trail
and headed around Bear Lake to the Flattop Mountain trail
system. We hiked at a pretty fast pace, and as always, I
felt like a wimp because I was breathing so hard. Usually
it takes me at least 30-45 minutes for my body to adapt
to the increased altitude and workload. Ernie assured me
he felt the same way and that it was normal.
We saw quite a few people on the trail, including one
guy with just a dual-bottle fanny pack who actually
passed us. Though we don't race up the trails by any
means, it's a bit unusual to have someone pass us.
About 45 minutes into the hike, Ernie went off-trail
to relieve himself and immediately began swatting at the
mosquitoes that swarmed over us when we stopped. Of
course it was a bit awkward for him since he was occupied
with something else. We decided to put on some
combination insect repellent and sun block I'd brought,
something he hadn't brought along (grin).
The repellent was immediately effective and it allowed
us to stop and enjoy the Dream Lake overlook, where Ernie
took an excellent picture.
0802: Alan departs North Inlet Trailhead, Grand
Lake Village, 8526'
Alan: Finding the trailhead was a little hard,
but ultimately I was sure I'd left Mike's car in the
right place. The trail distance sign was not to be
believed. It said 12.8 miles to Flattop Mountain, which I
later decided was really 13.8, and 16.3 to Bear Lake --
really 18.2.
Whatever the actual distance, I was eager to be afoot
and calm down and walk some long miles alone in the
woods.
The first thing I noticed was that the trail was a
road and it went downhill and there were horses and horse
scat on it (phew). For the first 15 minutes I passed
corrals and wire fences. After 30 minutes I passed a
boarded up cabin and the road really became a trail.
After that I encountered just five other groups of people
the entire day.
There's not much to tell about the first five hours
(!) of the hike, at least about the scenery. (I'll get to
the other part in a moment.) The trail meandered slowly
up a long, tree-covered, mosquito-infested valley along
clear, cold, pretty North Inlet Creek, past remarkably
few named or geologic features. There were a large number
of small annoying ups and downs. That first 1000' of
elevation gain was a killer (grin). I did enjoy Cascade
Falls for a few minutes (3.5 miles in), and I was able to
track my position pretty well by "pilotage",
creek crossings, one unnamed puddle I passed, and later,
switchbacks.
0900: Mike and Ernie at Emerald Lake overlook
Mike: We decided to take a snack break. We took
our packs off and each enjoyed the fresh bacon, ham,
cheese and onion muffins made the night
before, using a variation of the Baldpate Inn muffin
recipe.
I also popped some Ibuprofen to try to pre-empt a
small twinge in my right knee.
At this stop we met a guy from Indiana with whom we
talked for a bit.
He proudly told us of his family, further up the
trail, including two volleyball-star daughters who had
just played in a national championship in Denver. We took
his picture, and he
asked if we saw them later to let them know he was fine.
After a couple more pictures, including the laughingly
staged "cliffhanger" picture, we headed on up
the trail.
A bit later Ernie asked if he could use one of my
trekking poles I still had strapped to my pack. I took
the other one and we both used them.
They were a big help later on snowfields, and in
general.
0930: Alan's ankle says "enough"
Alan: An hour and a half and three miles into
the hike my ankle, which had been feeling pretty good
lately, reminded me it was still damaged.
A sharp, biting pain emerged and grew steadily. Hmm...
I took a break to wrap it and put two Ibuprofens in my
pocket. Wrapping didn't help much, so five minutes later
I ate one Vitamin I. That didn't help much, so twenty
minutes later I ate the other one. That didn't help much
either. At the next rest break I fashioned a crude sort
of orthotic device from a bandanna and put it in my boot.
That helped a little but not for long.
I debated turning back after just four miles, but I
decided it wasn't getting any worse and I might as well
push on. The pain was on the side of my ankle and not
right in the joint. "Pain is just a sensory input...
Ouch!" That was the pattern for the remainder of the
hike.
Every time I rested and stretched my ankle it got
better, but 20-30 minutes later the sharp pain would
return. Sometimes I walked normally and sometimes
gingerly, but I still made pretty good progress.
The flimsy aspen walking stick I brought from home
snapped in half and I replaced it with another flimsy
aspen walking stick (found in a rare patch of aspen) that
lasted the rest of the way.
0945: Mike and Ernie nearing Flattop Mountain
Mike: We saw people sitting on rocks just below
the last large snowfield before the summit of Flattop.
When we asked we learned they were Mr. Indiana's family.
We joked and laughed but assured them he was fine. They
seemed pleased he'd made it to the Emerald overlook.
1000: Mike and Ernie reach Flattop Mountain, 12324'
Mike: We reached the summit, although it's
pretty unremarkable. Just a large expanse of rocks. After
a brief pause, we headed on to Hallett Peak, pausing once
to look down Tyndall Gorge and take a picture.
1050: Mike and Ernie reach Hallett Peak, 12713'
Mike: We reached the summit of Hallett quickly.
Incredibly, though Ernie's lived and hiked here all his
life, this was his first time on Hallett Peak. My second.
We spoke for a few minutes with a Japanese guy, from what
we could gather, an academic temporarily based in
Boulder. He asked about going down Andrews Glacier. Gave
him a muffin.
A few minutes later, Ernie, said, "I've got
something for you." He went over to his pack and
came back, amazingly, with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon
beer! I couldn't believe he'd carried it up in his pack.
I didn't feel like I could drink it at that altitude and
with another ~14 miles to hike, so he put it back in his
pack.
1145: Mike and Ernie depart Hallett Peak
Mike: Still on the summit, but about to leave,
we looked up at someone walking on the summit and it was
Steve, a guy Ernie works with! We took his picture, then
started heading down southwest, going cross-country to
intercept the trail going down to the North Inlet.
1148: Alan reaches North Inlet junction, 9600'
Alan: At the trail junction to Lake Nokoni the
sign said I'd made 8.0 miles in just under four hours
with barely 1000' in net elevation gain.
It also said I had 5.8 miles more to Flattop, which
made sense. I turned left and up the hill. The real
climbing started, some long switchbacks out of the main
valley and into the Hallett Creek drainage.
I knew it didn't matter, but I was eager to reach the
Hallett Creek crossing, our estimated meeting point,
ahead of Mike and Ernie, even if it meant hiking one
stretch for more than an hour. I like to take a rest
break about every hour, and with my ankle I really needed
them more often.
Above the switchbacks a big storm approached with
thunder while I crossed a huge open area with trees
impressively blown down by an avalanche some years ago.
Just beyond this there were some ominous patches of snow
on the trail. I hoped Mike and Ernie were getting close
to the trees. Of course for all I knew they were eating
muffins and waiting for rescue in an upside-down Subaru
in the creek near Glacier Gorge Junction. My ham radio
would not talk with their cell phone (grin).
1250: Mike and Ernie meet backpackers and
snowfields
Mike: We ran into a guy coming up the trail who
asked if we'd seen a large group of backpackers. We
hadn't, but as we stood there talking they came into view
up the trail. When we left he asked us to tell his
girlfriend further down the trail that they'd been found.
About five minutes down the trail we saw her and gave the
message.
We were still well above treeline and could see a
storm that might or might not threaten us. We kept hiking
down the rocky trails and switchbacks. As we got lower we
ran into a lot of sizable snowfields, some of them so
dangerous that we elected to shortcut the trail rather
than risk a long slide/fall. We postholed a bit on some
of the snowfields, and I sometimes got some snow in the
tops of my boots.
We started seeing a few sprinkles and could hear some
fairly distant thunder. We also began to get below
treeline, which was good since the storm seemed closer
and the danger from lightning would increase.
1255: Alan crosses Hallett Creek at ~10600'
Alan: I stopped a bit beyond the creek, just
before timberline, to rest and wait out the storm. I'd
started with 2.5 liters of water, and I filled one empty
liter with snow to melt. Just ten minutes later...
1305: Mike and Ernie meet Alan in the trees
Mike: As we moved down the trail, I saw
movement just off the trail in the trees and realized
that it was Alan. It was good to see him. He'd made some
very good time, having finished over half his hike even
though he started at least an hour later than us.
Alan: It was a relief to encounter them. We
swapped stories and car keys -- after five hours thinking
about it, I still forgot and it was Mike who remembered.
I did remember all the other information I wanted to
offer, except about the mosquitos in North Inlet...
Anyway, I'd covered more than half the distance and
vertical, but still had plenty of uphill ahead of me, but
I told Mike I would continue even if I had to wait until
evening for the weather to clear. That committed me to
finishing because his car would not be waiting at my
starting trailhead.
Mike: We got out our rain gear, sat, rested, and talked for
awhile under the trees, out of the light rain. Ernie
and I each went over to Hallett Creek and pumped some
water as we were both empty. Ernie took our picture, each
of us pointing in the direction we were headed next. We
exchanged info on the trails ahead.
1345: Mike and Ernie depart downhill
Mike: Ernie and I headed on down, still having
about 10 miles to go.
Alan was about to begin the toughest stretch of his
hike, but probably not before he waited out more of the
weather.
1400: Mike and Ernie reach avalanche debris
Mike: Ernie and I reached the area where an old
patrol cabin had been destroyed by an avalanche. Downed
trees were everywhere. Shortly after, we got rid of our
rain gear as the sprinkles had pretty much stopped.
1410: Alan departs uphill
Alan: I decided the storm looked gone enough
(blown to the east) to leave timberline. A group of young
folks was resting just above. One of their party was
being painfully assisted down the trail above them after
spraining his ankle. I shared some information about
ankle injuries I'd just read in two medical textbooks
(grin) and helped spot them across a steep snowfield on
the trail. Then I continued up out of the drainage,
finally enjoying some scenery, and with blessedly little
ankle pain myself. I didn't see another person until I
reached Bear Lake.
It was cool looking down the Hallett Creek and North
Inlet drainages all the way to Grand Lake, far in the
distance.
1510: Mike and Ernie reach North Inlet junction
Mike: We reached the trail junction for the
trail going to Nokoni and Nanita, and saw a large rock on
which we could take a long break. We found a comfortable
place to sit, and Ernie rummaged around in his pack and
handed me a glass bottle of Stewart's Orange and Cream
soda, then pulled another out for himself! Amazing! I
began to wonder what else he had stashed in his small
summit pack!
We enjoyed the drinks with another
muffin. Also, I took off my shoes and put on a fresh
pair of socks. Took some more Ibuprofen. Left my shoes
off to let my boots dry out. Ernie laid back and took a
short nap. I fiddled with my gear a bit and waited. We
reapplied sun screen and repellent. Ernie was dreading
the long stretch ahead, and suggested we hike hard and
fast for an hour to put three miles or so behind us. We
agreed that we were running a bit behind
"schedule".
1535: Mike and Ernie resume the trek
Mike: We hit the trail again feeling refreshed.
In fact I felt almost as good as when we started! And the
worst part of the hike was over.
We had 8.0 miles to go, but it was all pretty gentle
downhill trail through the woods and along the North
Inlet. We hiked fairly fast and really didn't stop much
to speak of for the next hour.
Ernie and Alan had both commented that the last four
or five miles were boring, but I wouldn't say it that way
-- it was definitely long and we were wishing it was
over, but the gorgeous mountain and forest scenery,
combined with the refreshing walk along the North Inlet,
was anything but boring.
I couldn't get over how many campsites we saw along
this trail. It seems like there were at least 10!
1538: Alan departs trail at 11900'
Alan: I worried about another dark cloud
growing to the southwest now that I was on my way across
the Divide. I figured I needed 2.5 - 3 hours to get back
to timberline on the east side. Fortunately the cloud
didn't do much and I could relax. I actually spent 4:30
above treeline.
After passing a herd of elk resting in a boggy tundra
garden, I decided to turn NE off the trail and head for
Hallett Peak. This resulted in traveling about the same
distance as the direct route but 400' more vertical gain.
It was a slow, tired, torturous ascent on big rocks
and tundra to the top. "Hallett Peak the hard
way" -- 8.5 hours and ~4500' total gain, and
apparently not really in shape for it. I ate a lot of
glucose candy (burp) and it kept me going.
1635: Alan reaches Hallett Peak
Alan: I was exhausted when I got there. I
plotzed (Yiddish for "collapsed") and rested
and called Mike's wife in Estes via ham radio to check in
with her. I was really glad to be done with the serious
uphills for the day... Just a long, familiar downhill run
home from there. I enjoyed the familiar, somewhat cloudy,
dreary scenery. Fantasized about heading straight for
Bear Lake and finding a way down the cliffs to Emerald
Lake, or descending Tyndall Glacier without an ice axe.
Maybe another time. An eagle soared past...
1700: Mike and Ernie take another rest
Mike: We stopped for what would be our last
sit-down rest break and sat on a log by the river. I ate
a Clif Bar and drank some water. I dumped tiny rocks and
stuff out of my boots for about the sixth time that day.
We were both getting pretty weary, but were still
enjoying the hike and had good spirits and a good sense
of humor. Ernie said he'd been on group hikes before that
were so long and tiring that everyone completely lost
their sense of humor -- in one case, with almost five
hours left in the hike.
1710: Alan departs Hallett Peak
Alan: Sure enough my ankle started complaining
again as soon as I went downhill. I still had my sense of
humor too, but nobody laughed at my jokes (grin). I
picked my way carefully along the Divide around Tyndall
Glacier. On top of Flattop Mountain I petted a favorite
"monument rock" I first photographed nearly 20
years ago.
1745: Alan departs Flattop Mountain
Alan: Nothing left but the 4.4 miles downhill
to Bear Lake. According to my marked up map, on two
previous hikes it had taken 2:45 to cover that distance,
once in the winter and once on a "mellow" day.
I wondered if I could do better. Oops, there was a lot of
snow hidden below treeline, and more mosquitos too,
enough that you could treat them as an inhalable protein
source.
I still made good time with quiet rest stops at the
Emerald and then Dream Lake overlooks. The elfish
timberline forest was a fabulous, mystical green in the
late-day light.
1800: Mike and Ernie nearing the trailhead
Mike: We stopped again because we were getting
too warm. Ernie wet a camp towel and washed up. I could
tell that his experiment with hiking and illness wasn't
working very well. We were feeling very tired, but knew
we were getting pretty close to being done. We saw a lot
more people now, as we were well into the range of short
dayhikes from the North Inlet trailhead.
1845: Mike and Ernie reach North Inlet Trailhead
Mike: Around 1830 I asked Ernie how much longer
he thought we had. He estimated 30 minutes, but I think
he was trying to be conservative because in only 15
minutes we came into view of the trailhead and my car.
Ahh, but it was good to be done!
We slowly stripped off our packs and threw them in the trunk. Man we
were tired after 18 miles or so of hiking, but we felt good. Ernie and I stopped off at a little store where I
bought and consumed a pint of Gatorade and two bags of
M&Ms.
1900: Mike and Ernie make the long drive home
Mike: As we drove back, Ernie was so worn out (and probably
sick, too) that he seemed to fall asleep several times as we talked.
Turns out the next day he went to the doctor and they gave him some
antibiotics. When we got back we had a beer, relaxed, and recounted the
day's hiking.
That evening I was tired, my body complaining that it
had done some major work, but I really felt great
overall. In fact, I know I've felt worse after shorter
treks. My right knee was pretty sore, but with the help
of more Ibuprofen, even that was gone by the next day. I
feel pretty confident that I'm in more than good enough
shape for Longs Peak now.
1943: Alan reaches Bear Lake trailhead
Alan: I was tired and achy and a little crampy
but nothing serious. I could still walk on that danged
ankle. I found my car and let out a wimpy
"Hi-Yo" that nobody else in the parking lot
seemed to notice. I drove home with a stop to call Mike's
wife again to "check out". I heard Mike and
Ernie had arrived at Grand Lake right about on time.
Wednesday morning:
Alan: It was a rude awakening this morning
after nearly 10 hours sleep, but then I felt surprisingly
good. My foot was as good (bad) as ever; I didn't trash
it like I thought I would, and I could even double-time
up steps. I was just generally achy and done in, to be
expected. Life is good.
Ernie’s unedited trip
report, in its entirety. (grin)
Mike: On a personal note, this is my
longest ever hike.
|
Ernie standing by the North Inlet. We were
really wanting the hike to be over at this point.
