Hunt Lake, Collegiate West Segment 05, Colorado Trail, CO (4)
CO (Chaffee County)
Day 7
Boss Lake (Collegiate West 05) to random campsite (Segment 15)
Plans are meant to change, I reckon. (My original intent was to do the Collegiate Loop and end up back at Twin Lakes.) Day started off great albeit a bit chilly. Sun was out though. Hunt Lake was magnificent with great reflections. I suspect it would have been a colder night here than at Boss Lake. There appeared to be a thin layer of ice on the lake. Glad I stopped at Boss where morning temperature was approximately 42f.
The next lake was the last water source until Monarch Pass, 8.1 miles away. I stopped to camel up and maybe make some coffee. Threatening clouds were building just over the ridge, so I thought it best to get over the pass which was still over 1/2 mile away.
Well, I didn't make it. Tried umbrella but above treeline I've discovered that it is usually too windy. I had to put on poncho. Since I've been using poncho as rain fly for tent, it still had guy lines attached. Not easy to remove them under cold, extremely windy, rainy with some hail conditions. Although my fingers were nearly frozen with little dexterity, somehow I managed to get my poncho on.
Once at the top (12,472') I was mildly disappointed. I hoped the trail would descend quickly and get below treeline. It did not. It continued for miles on ridgeline and sidehill. No escape from the wind and rain just yet.
Hunt Lake, Collegiate West Segment 05, Colorado Trail, CO (4)
CO (Chaffee County)
Day 7
Boss Lake (Collegiate West 05) to random campsite (Segment 15)
Plans are meant to change, I reckon. (My original intent was to do the Collegiate Loop and end up back at Twin Lakes.) Day started off great albeit a bit chilly. Sun was out though. Hunt Lake was magnificent with great reflections. I suspect it would have been a colder night here than at Boss Lake. There appeared to be a thin layer of ice on the lake. Glad I stopped at Boss where morning temperature was approximately 42f.
The next lake was the last water source until Monarch Pass, 8.1 miles away. I stopped to camel up and maybe make some coffee. Threatening clouds were building just over the ridge, so I thought it best to get over the pass which was still over 1/2 mile away.
Well, I didn't make it. Tried umbrella but above treeline I've discovered that it is usually too windy. I had to put on poncho. Since I've been using poncho as rain fly for tent, it still had guy lines attached. Not easy to remove them under cold, extremely windy, rainy with some hail conditions. Although my fingers were nearly frozen with little dexterity, somehow I managed to get my poncho on.
Once at the top (12,472') I was mildly disappointed. I hoped the trail would descend quickly and get below treeline. It did not. It continued for miles on ridgeline and sidehill. No escape from the wind and rain just yet.