With summer coming to an abrupt end and a possible job oppotunity presenting itself on the horizon, I managed to find time for one last adventure, this time setting my sights on the park region, just northwest of Boulder, CO.
Wild Basin is a region of Rocky Mountain National Park, located in its southwest corner, bordering the very popular Longs Peak massif, which can see up to well over a couple thousand visitors, hikers, climbers, etc in a given summer. My objective for the day was Mt.Alice, which was deep in the heart of the basin, offering both seclusion, scenery and a fun route up an obscure peak. I first laid eyes on the peak on a combo climb in the Glaicer Gorge region, Longs deeply carved out basin to the West, easily visible from the Keyhole. While standing atop McHenry's Peak, I noticed a slithering ridge leading up to an elusive summit, which looked to be all its in its lonesome out there to the South. I would later learn this ridge to be referred to as the "Hourglass Ridge", an easy class 3 scramble to a seldom visited summit. Well, here I was, almost exactly a year later, getting my pack ready at the Wild Basin trailhead at 3am on a quiet Saturday morning.
The trail starts out just as any other national park trail would - wide, well maintained and easy to follow. With the sun slowly awakening, I made good progress for 4.2 miles to my first trail junction. It was a very quiet morning in terms of weather and crowds. I didn't hear a peep other than the flowing of the waterfalls and creeks. The sky was red and made for some nice panoramic views of the region.
The Lion Lake region was nestled under the imposing South face of Chief's Head Pk, hidden under the early morning shadow of Longs. The lakes were crystal clear blue and green, with some cascading waterfalls linked between lakes, flowing beside the faint trail. As I hiked along and passed "Trio Falls", above Lion Lake #1, I encountered my first snowfield, which was easily navigated around, gaining the slope above the falls and obtaining my first view of the gradual grassy ramp, towering over Snowbank Lake and allowing me safe passage to the saddle between Alice and Chief's Head.
As I created a small hump in the ramp, there were my first signs of other lifeforms in the area - Rams. The only places I've had the pleasure of seeing these guys are above me on Elk Mountain peaks with an abundance of loose shale, as well as the sides of I-70 during rush hour ski traffic. This was a pleasant surprise. They littered the slope and seemed to cling to the sides of the cliffs, without an ounce of fear.
Shortly after my encounter, I reached the saddle, fueled up on some trail mix and gatorade and made my final push towards the summit, along the infamous Hourglass Ridge, deemed a classic route by famous Colorado guidebook author, Gerry Roach.
The Hourglass Ridge
I reached the summit around 5 hours or so after leaving the car. It was a little long, but I had been sidetracked by the scenery and slowed down by the number of casual breaks and photo ops I took. The weather forecast had called for some mid-afternoon thunder storms, but, from what I could see from Alice's summit, all threats of weather were far enough away to enjoy a anxiety-free, gradual descent.
The Stone Man
I decided to make a loop hike out of the day and made way for the Boulder-Grand Pass, due 1.2 miles South from the summit. This was all along an alpine tundra with little to no sign of a trail. This didn't bother me for I had a mesmerizing view to the South of the Northern region of the Indian Peaks Wilderness as well as a very aesthetic perspective of the North Face of Isolation Peak, which could very well be my next objective in the park region. I had been contemplating a side trip to local 12ers Tanima Peak (12,420ft) and The Cleaver (12,019ft), but the incoming clouds had me choosing otherwise. The pass was easy to locate and soon enough I was looking back up at it from Falcon Lake, with rainclouds and the sound of thunder nearby. Luckily, there was sufficient cover from the storm and I was back on the maintained trail, leading me back to safety and, eventually, my car. Unfortunately, my final destination was 6.2 miles away, and a trip to Chipotle in Boulder even longer.
I reached Thunder Lake and the ranger patrol cabin, just as the clouds began to clear a bit, allowing me a carefree descent back to the car. It was around this time the ipod came out and I went into cruise control. About 2 hours later, I was untying my boots, putting on the flip flops and giving my body a much needed rest from the long day.
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