Lone Eagle Peak, Indian Peaks Wilderness: 7/12-7/13, 2008

The stats

7.1 miles one-way to Mirror Lake, 7.3 to Crater Lake
Starting elevation: 8,440’
Crater Lake elevation: 10,320’

Lone Eagle Peak lies in the Indian Peaks Wilderness of the Front Range 42 miles northwest of Denver, and is easiest accessed near Lake Granby, immediately south of Rocky Mountain National Park.

An aerial image of the route

Preface

I am somewhat ashamed to admit I have not been on a backpacking trip prior to this trip, but alas, that is the case. Up until now, all of my picture-taking has been roadside or from along shorter hiking trails. I am so happy to be moving out of my comfort zone and finally getting to enjoy places I’ve only dreamed about previously. It was only a year ago that I said I was finally going to get into backpacking. Prior to that, I had only half-heartedly considered it, but clothing and food options seemed to be mental hurdles for me that was rather overwhelming. Once I fully committed myself to backpacking in July 2007, I started reading the vast information found on a couple of backpacking forums, and I was soon on my way. I spent hours reading accounts of people’s experience with various gear, and by October, I felt up to speed on what all would be necessary to take along on a trip, and what kind of gear I knew would work well for me.

The trip

I had oh so really badly wanted to see the awe-inspring view of Lone Eagle Peak for about the last three years. The classic mountain scene from Mirror Lake is one that Albert Bierstadt would be proud to take a shot at painting. Once I knew I was going to start backpacking, Lone Eagle went right to the top of the list that I would have to visit first, and having my bigger items like my tent and backpack collecting dust for half of a year, I was excited to finally put them to use. I mailed a wilderness permit request a few weeks prior, as this is a high-use area, and I was set to go.

After getting off work at 7:30 PM, an hour and a half late, on Friday evening, I started the drive to Granby, the nearest town to my turnoff. That Thursday and Friday saw extremely heavy smoke all along the Front Range from a multitude of California fires, and the foothills west of Denver were barely visible from the eastern half of town. Yes, it’s crazy to think that smoke from that far away can have that big of impact. The drive into the mountains didn’t show much more promise, and the sunset from Middle Park was a muted brown. I wondered if my first backpacking adventure would be one for the trash. Still, I knew there was a possibility for the wind to shift within a day’s time to clear all the smoke out. I arrived at the trailhead around 10:00. It would be a short night’s sleep, made even shorter as I was eagerly anticipating the next morning. I set the alarm clock for 6:00, but no doubt snoozed it a couple times. I packed a few small items in the pack, took some pictures, and left the trailhead at 6:50. As I walked along Monarch Lake on the first part of the trail, smoke was still in the air, though perhaps to a little lesser degree this day. I was hoping, really hoping, that it would all clear out by sunset.

The trail to Mirror Lake is 7.1 miles with 1,900 feet of elevation gain. The much bigger Crater Lake is another short .2 miles beyond. 1998 was the only other occasion where I did a seven-mile hike (I think closer to eight), that being up the only 14er I’ve ever hiked, Mt. Tabaguache. That one had a whole lot more elevation gain, and I doubled that distance on the way down. I was just simply hoping I could make Mirror Lake by sunset! The trail seemed fairly easy and not too strenuous. It seemed like it had a gradual uphill grade with a few short sections of steep ascents. Right as I hit the intersection with the Pawnee Pass trail at the 6.5-mile mark, I started to fatigue and get hungry. The Pro Bar I had for breakfast had worn off, but I didn’t want to stop now—I really wanted to get to my destination. That last half-mile dragged on, and I was beat. The last steep uphill pitch after the first three campsites was a struggle. Once I crested, Mirror Lake was just a short walk away. I made it! Still no time for rest, though, as I had to look for a campsite, for I had no idea if anyone was trailing me thinking the same. And surprising to me, no one had passed me on the way up, and I ran into two pairs and two individuals going down in the previous part of the trail. I headed off to the left (east) side of the lake as I wanted campsite 4 or 5, as they are closest to the spot from where to set up a camera at Mirror Lake. I was soon discouraged as they were occupied, though probably shouldn’t have been too surprised given the popularity of the area. So, I kept going around the east side of the lake in search for other sites. Site #6 was open, and at this point I thought this might be my only option, but it isn’t in an optimal location. The site sits on grass under an open sky. I wanted lodgepole pine at my site, so still hungry, I decided to check for any other openings. I ended up having to eat a sandwich, which helped tremendously, and an hour and a half later after I arrived at the lake, I finally found an open site, number 8. Turns out this is an optimal location as it sits almost right in the middle between the two lakes, offering quick access to both, and I was extremely pleased.

I set up the tent and ended up lying down for an hour and a half resting and getting off my feet. Around 4:00, I decided to get out and check out Crater Lake and wait on its shore to take in the incredible views from there. Two hours before sunset, I headed back to the northern shore of Mirror Lake where I’d start taking pictures from there and watch the shadow line go up the mountain walls. I didn’t have really anything in the way of nice puffy clouds, but considering the smoke the previous day and into the morning on this day, I was more than thankful for the now crystal clear conditions and the famous Colorado blue sky. I ate my Mountain House meal (Pasta Primavera—yum!) at my perch here between shutter clicks. When the light was gone, I headed to camp, set the alarm for 5:00, and got tucked in for my first night in my tent. I slept great and heavy, so I’m not sure if there were any footsteps nearby during the night.

Morning did come too quickly, and I could've slept until noon. I did awake at 5:00 just enough to open the tent and check the sky conditions. There wasn't a cloud, so I went back to sleep until a little after 7:00, when the sun would be high enough to be hitting some of the peaks. Once I got up, I headed back to Mirror Lake. I now know that based on the angle of Lone Eagle Peak, that this is a bit better sunrise location than sunset. I waited for the trees surrounding the lake to light up, then headed back up to Crater Lake to have another look there and soak in the views even more. After about 45 minutes there, I reluctantly headed back to camp to take down the tent and pack up. I knew one night was going to be short, and that two or even three nights would be optimal, but I really enjoyed my time, spent a couple hours worth just staring at Lone Eagle and the rest of the impressive cirque. I stopped at Mirror Lake for a few more snapshots on the way out. The light had been rather harsh for a little while by now, so there wasn't really too much of a need to hang around any longer. I departed Mirror Lake at 9:30 and started the long walk back down the hill.

The walk down proved I was disillusioned on the way up, in that I said coming up felt like it had a gradual uphill grade with some steeper sections. Well, there is no doubt that it is all very much downhill going down! That's good and bad. Good that I felt as good and strong as I did going up taking routine but quick breaks. Bad that going downhill on steeper grades, your legs turn to Jell-O. Overall, I felt pretty good for the first of the way down and my legs stayed strong. I did develop a blister at the joint of my left big toe (which I later rectified on subsequent trips simply by adding liner socks), and I got to be very hungry about midway. And again, I did not take the time to stop and have lunch. Those last three, or whatever they were, miles seemed to take an eternity. I was beat. The day was warm, and I wanted to sit down. I was sucking down as much water going down as I did going up, and eventually ran dry with a little over a mile to go. There was no way I was going to make it without water the rest of the way, and I wanted to take a number of good chugs, so I stopped to filter some water. Boy, did that hit the spot. Still hungry, though, I finally put away that last mile. I finally made it back to the truck at 12:58. It felt so good to sit down, cool off, and relax. Oddly, though, my all my hunger went away, and I didn't eat a sandwich until about an hour into the drive back.

Onto the good stuff . . .

Pack contents laid out the night prior to the trip

The pack all ready to go. It weighed in at 38 pounds, 4 ounces, with a full 100-ounce-bladder
of water, and minus the trekking poles.

Ready to go

The signs at the trailhead

Monarch Lake. The trail leads right up that valley. Smoke can still be seen, though it looks more like standard haze in this picture. There was definitely a slight light-brown hue in person.

Trail along Monarch Lake

The eastern end of Monarch Lake

Buchanon Creek at the inlet of Monarch Lake

Arriving at the wilderness boundary

Hell Canyon creek crossing

A perfect morning hiking through a wonderful part of the forest

Buchanon Creek crossing

Falls along Cascade Creek

Cascade Creek

Cascade Creek crossing

Pond along the trail

Falls along Cascade Creek

At the base of the previously pictured falls

Cascade Creek crossing

The trail continues up to the far valley, doglegs right, and Lone Eagle sits behind the ridge on the far right.
At this point, it doesn't look like there is any smoke, but perhaps some leftover haze.