May 4
May the Fourth be with you… ha, ha, ha. Yes, I enjoy the Star Wars saga. This morning felt a bit like Hoth, the ice and snow planet in the Empire Strikes Back. All of the trails in the Bear Lake region had multiple feet of snow. Folks had made thin paths, packing down the snow, so people could make the hikes. But if you did not pay attention and stepped to the left or right, the probability you would end up leg-deep in snow became great. I kept out of the snow on the Alberta Falls trail, but twice went to my butt on the Bierstadt Lake trail in the afternoon. Pulling a leg up and out and then finding a spot which would not again sink, was humorous, at best. But what fun! Everyone I could see in the various parking lots and on the trails had the right gear for cold weather, and snow trails. About half the folks had crampons and/or hiking poles. When the snowstorm hit, some people went under fir trees, while others pulled out wilderness raincoats.
After the Alberta Falls hike, I had gone to Bear Lake. It was completely covered in snow and ice. A few folks had ventured out into the center of the lake. Plenty of thickness at 9,500 feet altitude. Air temperature was 40degF, per the car thermometer, but not enough energy to put a noticeable dent in the snow. Seeing how this lake was one flat white pancake, it is a good thing I had not included lakes at higher altitude in my agenda. Kyle (my son) and I had hiked to Emerald Lake (10,110 feet elevation) about ten years ago, and it was gorgeous with the mountains and glaciers reflecting in the water. No sense seeing two white flat plots of land.
By the time I finished the Bierstadt Lake hike, a constant rain began, and it looked folks were calling it a day, with parking lots being empty.
A few male elk, some squirrels, and one moose were the only mammals I saw today.
There is plenty of road work ongoing in Estes Park and at the Fall River Entrance to the park. Let’s hope they get it wrapped up by Memorial Day, or there are going to be a lot of unhappy folks waiting in traffic jams.