Frozen Loch Vale
The massive bulge of jagged rock that separates Andrews Creek and The Gash (on the right and behind the trees) from Icy Brook and Sky Pond (on the left) drips with golden winter light and reflects on the wind-polished surface of Loch Vale, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
This past Friday my wife and I made an effort to reach Sky Pond, which sits at 11,000 feet (3,300 m) and in the winter is constantly scoured by wind and blowing snow. I visited the Pond in winter 9 years ago, and I have not forgotten the cracked mirror-like surface that was riddled with entrancing trapped bubbles of myriad sizes. To reach the pond from Bear Lake is approximately 3.8 miles (6.1 km) and a climb of almost 1,800 feet (550 m). It was an interesting sign that my wife began the walk with one of the stages of grief (her favorite): bargaining. Perhaps we would reach our destination, or perhaps we would simply enjoy the attempt and see how we fared moving through the snow-deep landscape.
We elected to wear spikes and boots rather than snow shoes, hoping that we could take advantage of people with snow shoes packing the surface down enough such that we could avoid wearing the ungainly things ourselves. It is possible I have some unresolved issues. The winter route to Loch Vale is not particularly interesting in terms of visual stimuli as one climbs steadily through the Lodgepole Pines, but the scene changes dramatically once one gains the surface of the lake. It is here that one can finally see the Continental Divide and where the last 800 feet of climbing up to Sky Pond will lead.
Note that the little mounds of snow that form a line on the surface of the lake toward the left are inverse footprints. After the last storm and before the wind could scrape away the freshly fallen snow, a person walked across the frozen surface and compacted the snow with each step. The compacted snow then froze in place and the wind deftly removed the loose surrounding powder to reveal the glassy ice.
Frozen Loch Vale
The massive bulge of jagged rock that separates Andrews Creek and The Gash (on the right and behind the trees) from Icy Brook and Sky Pond (on the left) drips with golden winter light and reflects on the wind-polished surface of Loch Vale, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
This past Friday my wife and I made an effort to reach Sky Pond, which sits at 11,000 feet (3,300 m) and in the winter is constantly scoured by wind and blowing snow. I visited the Pond in winter 9 years ago, and I have not forgotten the cracked mirror-like surface that was riddled with entrancing trapped bubbles of myriad sizes. To reach the pond from Bear Lake is approximately 3.8 miles (6.1 km) and a climb of almost 1,800 feet (550 m). It was an interesting sign that my wife began the walk with one of the stages of grief (her favorite): bargaining. Perhaps we would reach our destination, or perhaps we would simply enjoy the attempt and see how we fared moving through the snow-deep landscape.
We elected to wear spikes and boots rather than snow shoes, hoping that we could take advantage of people with snow shoes packing the surface down enough such that we could avoid wearing the ungainly things ourselves. It is possible I have some unresolved issues. The winter route to Loch Vale is not particularly interesting in terms of visual stimuli as one climbs steadily through the Lodgepole Pines, but the scene changes dramatically once one gains the surface of the lake. It is here that one can finally see the Continental Divide and where the last 800 feet of climbing up to Sky Pond will lead.
Note that the little mounds of snow that form a line on the surface of the lake toward the left are inverse footprints. After the last storm and before the wind could scrape away the freshly fallen snow, a person walked across the frozen surface and compacted the snow with each step. The compacted snow then froze in place and the wind deftly removed the loose surrounding powder to reveal the glassy ice.