The stats
Three miles on trail; ~2.5 miles off-trail to camp at lake 10,700'
Starting elevation: 8,400’
Zirkel pass elevation: 11,055'
Camp elevation: 10,700’
6 hours in, 3:45 out
Satellite image of route. Click to enlarge (180 KB).
Preface
This trip was marked with two milestone firsts: my first three-nighter, and my first substantial off-trail hiking. Not only that, but the distance from any humans was considerable, if not eerie at times. I ended up camping all three nights at the same place, which was at lake 10,700', which is directly between Big Agnes Mountain and Mt. Zirkel. To get there, it is 5.5 miles, 2.5 miles off-trail, up and down the pass directly below Zirkel's west face, through marsh, willow patches, boulder fields, and loose scree. A little bit of everything, really. I knew the trip would be a lot of work for me, and it was, but I also knew that it would be pretty darn amazing to get to and photograph an area very few others ever trek to. I know this is child's play for experienced hikers and mountain climbers, but I do have a great sense of accomplishment after this trip, nonetheless. This trip was so unlike anything I had done before, and this is not the Darren that those of you who know me are used to, that's for sure! Overall, I figure I trekked upwards of 14 miles with about 5,000 feet of elevation gain during the course of the trip.
My rookie backpacking season was capped off with this most memorable trip to the Mount Zirkel Wilderness. It was my seventh of the season. Thankfully, I didn't get eaten by a mountain lion, mauled by a bear, or get struck by lightning! I was able to dodge all the bolts from the sky successfully on all previous trips. There were definitely a number of harry moments on other trips, as I knew there would be. Summer is a very nerve-racking time to spend in Colorado's high country away from solid shelter of a building, and you know the afternoon storms will come in like clockwork. But, I guess some of us try to live life and get out there to see some great sights while we are still able. I only wish I had started years earlier. The work is hard, but the payoffs are most certainly rewarding.
The Mount Zirkel Wilderness lies north of Steamboat Springs in the northwest part of the state. I've had many fond memories of this area dating back to my early childhood, as my family would take seemingly annual summer camping trips to either Pearl Lake or Steamboat Lake. We still went a number of times in my teen and more recent years. Man, we have had a lot of great times. Hahns Peak was always one of my favorite mountains as it serves as the perfect backdrop to Steamboat Lake and much of the immediate area. Not to be outdone, the views to the Big Agnes massif and Mt. Ethel of the Park Range from Steamboat Lake, caps off a nice 360-degree panorama. So, I knew that once I got started into backpacking, that I would have to explore the heart of the area and get to know it a little bit better.
If you've tried to do any searching for really anything at all in the Zirkel area, you know that there is very limited material. And if you want quality material, the choices are almost nil. That is hard to believe in this day and age. It was about January of 2008 when I was doing some more online searches for the area and happened to come across a page on Jason Wither's site. Wow! I knew I finally struck the jackpot, and the only doubt that remained was when I was going to go. There were a number of pictures in that linked gallery that really resonated with me. In combination with virtual exploring in the ever indispensable photographers tool, Google Earth, I was able to piece together where most of his pictures were taken along the way, and I would be able to pre-visualize my trip. He was even generous enough to give me further details of his trip from an inquiry of mine. He has pictorial trip reports from a few hikes in the area, with the best pictures you'll find on the Web, so I'd encourage you to look around.
The trip
I arrived at the trailhead close to 10 PM on a Friday night after work. Things definitely got off to a very inauspicious start as I rolled in about 50 feet from the trailhead parking lot. I saw a porcupine waddling along. Big deal, you say! Let me just say that's one of the last things I want to see at a trailhead, especially when I'm going to camp at one for the night. I'll just say they really like undercarriages of vehicles. I'll also say that I had an experience at the Maroon Bells overnight parking lot two years ago that made me lose sleep—three times. Just think of those quills rubbing around on metal when you're trying to sleep and think of the important rubber hoses that they might decide they'd want to snack on! Parts of Canada, like around the Bugaboos in B.C. know it well. Note the chicken wire to put up around your vehicle. Finally, I will say those critters are slow, tough as mountains, and don't learn a lesson. Just ask my tripod if you happen to see it! By the way, I've seen first-hand live damage marmots can do, too. Just ask the guy who left his van for a bit outside of Crested Butte five years ago, as I watch green radiator fluid rapidly dripping out. Not cool at all. Anyway, thankfully, this little fellow only visited once and after I chased him to the other side of the parking lot, I was able to settle in for a good night's sleep.
I was in no hurry to be anywhere on Saturday, so I was able to get a good eight hours worth of sleep or more. Once up, I was ready to go. I got everything put together and started on the trail at 9:10. The first three miles are pretty easy with a gentle grade that ascends 1,400 feet. This is where the trail continues to Gilpin Lake to the southeast. My destination was to the northeast, though, and I must decide where is best to start cutting across. I didn't know the best way to get to the spot directly below Zirkel with all the small topographic details of the land to either go over or around, so I just followed my nose in the general direction I thought was best, My path early on zigzags through willows in a flat meadow that would not look unlike the common course a bumper car might take. After a few minutes, I cross Gilpin Creek and this part settles down and the route starts to ascend again. The easy part is knowing that all I needed to do was follow Gilpin Creek all the way up. Thankfully, it is pretty straight forward with a couple minor features to negotiate, like trouncing and/or stumbling straight through thick shoulder-tall willows. They're a well-built plant; they'll recover nicely. I should note that I don't do the same in fields of columbine or paintbrush.
Somewhere between the trail and lake 10,818', just this side of the feature that I'll call Zirkel pass, you have to ascend one of the steeper grades along the route. It probably only gains about 300 feet, but it was energy-zapping and I had to take a number of short rests through here. Once it levels out, relatively speaking, at tree line, the direction became clear, and I head right to the area where I knew the lake sits. This particular stretch would be a prime spot for some sunset shots, but that would have to wait for a future trip; I knew better things were in store. I finally arrive at the lake at 12:40. I'm a bit hungry, but I usually have a hard time settling down for lunch when I haven't made it to my destination. I take the pack off and filter some water out of the lake, which I was really going through to this point. The lake sits directly below the low saddle that separates Zirkel from the Big Agnes Mountain massif. This saddle has the quintessential look and water-dividing properties that makes it really hard to believe it is officially unnamed, so I will take liberty of calling it Zirkel pass, with a lowercase "p." It only makes sense that this name should be assigned. Anyway, this pass sits only 240 feet above the lake and looks relatively easy enough to ascend. I kept thinking about what the view was like from the top. Guess I had better put the pack on and find out.
I make it to the top of the pass where the views open up considerably off to both sides. It was as if I were on the edge of entering another world—that being one void of human presence and all the activities and thoughts that go with it; one of, well, pure wilderness. My whole state of mind changed that first step I took down on the other side for I knew I was leaving the relative safety of possible nearby people, if not today, at some point in the near future. They would be out of yelling distance for sure, as they already would have been for awhile, but also out of reach of a whistle I carry. I better not break an ankle or leg now, I thought. I'm up for the challenge and see what lies before me. I try to pick out the point on the far ridge where I believe I must head that will drop me down right at the lake where I want to camp. After a hundred feet, I know already that this is going to be far trickier than I had envisioned. Instead of going straight down the hill, I want to avoid the big boulder section that awaits at its base. I think by going to the left a little bit, then down, would be the way to go. It's probably as good as any route, but I quickly find out my choice has the added challenge of descending a substantial grade with a thin-to-sparse layer of scree with loose dirt underneath. I employ a slide method by going down sideways with my downhill leg outstretched. Surprisingly, I managed to stay upright for the duration, and there will be no Darren avalanche for now.
Once at the bottom of the hill, the drainage starts its course through the gulch. The problem was taht I still saw no real easy way through, so I still have to find a way to navigate the boulder field. It seems I about took the worst route possible, boulder-hopping, climbing in and out of them, taking my pack off a couple times and so on. I wondered if I knew what I was getting into. It was still safely manageable and I was no worse for the wear. I finally get to the point of the last of the rocks where I must cut away, but first I must descend a very unstable moraine of rocks about 20 feet in height. It could've been not pretty as at one point I stepped on what I thought was a huge stable rock that started to give way. I ended up doing controlled sliding down this slope as well and worried about rocks sliding down right behind me the whole time. Thankfully, I managed to make it through unscathed here as well, but I knew I had to take a different route upon my return.
Right after my heart had a chance to settle for a quick moment as I return to solid grassy ground, I'm onto the next adrenaline shot. Oh boy, pretty fresh scat right on my route! Of course, not knowing a thing about what animals leave behind, prints or otherwise, the only things that naturally come to mind would be that of a mountain lion or bear! I keep heading my course to arrive at the gulch that I need to go up and over to get to camp a fairly short distance away, but I ran into more scat piles, five or six, I believe—and they were getting fresher! I thought, I'll just take one of those boulders coming down on my head right now! You've got to be kidding me! Needless to say, I was very on edge looking around and nervously yelling a few times. Oh, but it's all part of the experience, right?! Well, I start to head up my last hill with no additional signs of animals. I hoped they stayed in the drainage below somewhere. I crested the hill and my destination came into view like, well, like something special! It was quite a sight. It was all downhill from here—literally! All the hard parts were behind me.
The walk down the last hill was enjoyable and refreshing, and once down, I found a good spot for the tent. I could've set up at a better site at the lake's shore, but the spot I picked would do just fine. I make it to this spot in exactly six hours! I could have driven most of the 400-mile roundtrip to/from Denver in this time for me to go my 5.5 miles! But it was totally worth all of the effort, which honestly, even though it was definitely a lot of work for me, wasn't all that bad or too difficult. All was quiet, so peaceful, and I was really enjoying the scenic basin. I was already at home. After setting up the tent and having lunch, it's time to keep moving to find the scene I've been looking forward to shooting for sunset. I ascend the adjacent gulch and find a good spot on the hill overlooking the lake and over to Zirkel. I didn't have any clouds, but this is one of the main reasons I planned this trip for three days, which would give me three shots at a good sunset. Afterwards, I enjoy my dinner meal and a good night's sleep.
Day two didn't see any clouds in the morning as I took pictures and basically relaxed around camp. I had grown to really love the silence with not a soul around. 2:00 came, and I started up the hill again to the west, this time to go further up and check out the lake that sits at 11,500', then to prepare for sunset. I initially started out in the gulch that feeds lake 10,700', but it was getting fairly rocky about midway up, so I decide to branch off to the right. My original aim was to visit this upper lake's shore, but as it turns out, my route took me to an overlook about a hundred feet higher with no way of dropping down to the lake. In the end, I believe this is the better view, so it worked out well. I stayed a good while up there taking in the views. When the sun lowered further, it was time to head back to the spot I shot sunset at the previous night, and this time received much better results. The clouds were fairly sparse, but there were enough of them in the right spots that really made the trip. A couple hours prior to sunset, though, I heard some of the most disturbing sounds that I would've never guess I'd hear this trip—that of humans! To make things worse, I spot the group of four guys making camp along the lake I was camped at, but about 200 feet to the south. A couple of them were loud a few times as their sound traveled all the way to where I was. I was immediately upset that I didn't get to enjoy the whole time in the area alone. Thankfully, the rest of the time they were quiet and weren't a problem. Still, the (other) human presence in an area like that really changes the whole ball game.
Day three was super relaxing and there weren't much in the way of clouds all day long. I was prepared to make another hike up the hill above the lake, but the lack of clouds in the late afternoon, there was no point. So, I took some pictures closer to camp.
Day four came and I was finally greeted with great clouds at sunrise. I tried to make the most of them, and when the light became harsh, I started to pack everything up. It was tough to leave this spot, but three days was a perfect amount of time to enjoy it without overdoing it. I started the long journey out. I took a better route back up towards Zirkel pass than I did coming down, but I still ended up doing a couple of steeper climbs. There was probably an easier way, but no big deal. I made the pass, then looked forward to the rest of the distance being downhill. Route finding on the way down was straight forward and I eventually picked up the Gilpin Lake trail picking up more speed, and made it back to the trailhead in two hours, fifteen minutes less than it took for my hike going up.
Starting out at the Slavonia trailhead at 9:10 AM
Pond along the early part of the trail
Through an aspen forest
Arriving in the wilderness
Gilpin Lake Trail intersection 1.5 miles in
View of unnamed 11,400'
Unnamed 11,400' (left)
Views opening up with unnamed 11,400', left, and the southern flanks of Zirkel in the center.
Zirkel's summit lies hidden further to the left.
Looking back down the valley which the trail goes
Gilpin Creek, now off the trail
False summit of Mt. Zirkel, left
Traversing a swamp section
Through brush and grass
Keep climbing
Zirkel pass lies in the V-cut
Trying to head straight for the gap
A look back across the way (south) where Gilpin Lake resides
Looking back down the valley. Navigating is straight forward after clearing that last band of trees.
A wonderful rock face, and a place that would make a wonderful sunset photo op
A wider view
A pond below lake 10,818'
Same pond looking back
Approaching lake 10,818'
Looking back west
The first good view of Zirkel pass 240' above
Lake 10,818' below the pass
Climbing the pass and looking down to lake 10,818'
Atop the pass, the view to the north-northwest, and to the prominent unnamed 11,811'. The goal now is to safely descend this gulch, then head back up to the notch in the dead center of the frame, which is kind of tough to distinguish here.
Looking over to Gilpin Lake from the pass. Mt. Ethel is the flat summit on the right.
From the pass looking right up on Zirkel's west face
My intended camp lies just on the other side of the lit ridge
The view to the north from the pass
A wider view of Gilpin Lake and Mt. Ethel