One of many
trip reports under the
SilGro home page for Alan Silverstein and Cathie
Grow.
Email me at
ajs@frii.com.
Last update: August 18, 2024
(Previous trip report: 1997_0619-22_RockhoundWyoming.htm)
By Mike Molloy and Alan Silverstein
(Was also posted under Mike's hiking page: http://www.mtnds.com/hikes/main.asp, which appears to be gone by Oct 2023.)
One summer day we walked across Rocky Mountain NP in opposite directions. Mike Molloy and Ernie Petrocine hiked west from Bear Lake while Alan Silverstein went east from Grand Lake. We swapped vehicles at the start so each party walked to their own car to drive home. Either way the total distance was 18.2 miles as best we could figure it from map study and posted signs. The direct distance between the trailheads is about 9.7 miles.
Here are our intertwined stories.
May 1: Alan hurts himself again
Alan: In a move reminiscent of five days before my Bear Lake to Milner Pass hike several years ago (but that's another trip report), I sprained my ankle during a workout. But this time it was my left ankle, the one that's had chronic problems.
Mid-to-late June: Alan gets medical advi$e; also "meets" Mike
Alan: Bad news: This time my ankle didn't get better fast, so I saw a podiatrist, twice; the second time, to admit defeat and order orthotic$ for de feet. Good news: They were already on order at the time of this hike. Bad news: They hadn't arrived yet.
Around this same time I read one of Mike's trip reports after he announced it in the rec.backcountry newsgroup. I was impressed with the style of it, adjacent to quality photos, and we got to chatting by email (without ever meeting in person). This led to a plan to hike east/west across the Divide with a similar car swap to the one Ron Miller and I engineered for the north/south adventure a few years ago. Mike's suggestion was to do it on a weekday when the weather was decent and the crowds (on the trails and roads) would be minimal -- he was so right.
Mike: The week before this hike began, I had an ongoing email conversation with Alan, one of the most prolific hikers I know of. I've read and enjoyed many of his trip reports, and have actively used his excellent Locations in RMNP list.
When I mentioned that I was training to prepare for Longs Peak and that I was interested in hiking across the Continental Divide from Bear Lake to Grand Lake via Flattop Mountain, he proposed we swap cars at the RMNP entrance. Then Ernie and I would leave his car at Bear Lake and he would leave my car at the North Inlet trailhead at Grand Lake. We would each hike over to our own cars, meeting somewhere along the way to return the spare key we'd used. Ernie and I thought this sounded good, though Alan's hike over from Grand Lake was much tougher than coming from Bear Lake.
There was some question the day before about going, as Ernie felt a sore throat and fever coming on. He didn't want to cancel though, and in fact told me he was doing an "experiment" to see how a tough hike would help or hurt the onset of an illness. After working out all the details via email, we agreed to meet at 0630 at the main RMNP Visitor Center to switch cars.
Tuesday, July 8, 0630: Car swap
Alan: I got up at o-dark-60 to make the hour-long drive up to Estes Park. Mike and Ernie arrived at the RMNP Visitor Center soon after I did and we met for the first time in person. My first thought was, "These are young slender healthy guys. Compared to them I'm a fat lame old gelding. I hope they don't notice."
Mike: Ernie arrived at my house (near Estes Park) about 0610 and we had a cup of coffee before heading out. Ernie and I were on time and found Alan already there, cleaning the windows on his car! Such service! (grin)
We met face-to-face for the first time, exchanging car keys at the same time we exchanged handshakes. After going over various contingencies that could arise (mostly from a car or a hiker breaking down), we went our separate ways, Alan honking the horn of my car as we turned off onto Bear Lake Road. I smiled as I had a fleeting silly thought that perhaps Alan was part of a complicated and hitherto unheard of "hiker's car theft ring" (grin).
Alan: I was impressed with Mike entrusting his car to someone he'd just met on email, but then again I'd just done the same thing, hadn't I? It seemed like a fair hostage exchange. And I had the better part of the deal since my car wasn't going over Trail Ridge Road (grin).
Mike and Ernie had maybe 20 minutes to drive up the road into the heart of RMNP, while I had over an hour to Grand Lake.
Mike: Ernie and I arrived at the trailhead at a bit before 0700 and parked and secured Alan's car. We sorted through our gear and ran one last checklist. One of the most important items was a water filter, since neither of us carried much more than a liter of water at any given time.
0710: Mike and Ernie depart Bear Lake Trailhead, 9475'
Mike: After assuring ourselves that we were ready (and with Ernie laughing at the fact that I always brought way more stuff than I needed), we hit the trail and headed around Bear Lake to the Flattop Mountain trail system. We hiked at a pretty fast pace, and as always, I felt like a wimp because I was breathing so hard. Usually it takes me at least 30-45 minutes for my body to adapt to the increased altitude and workload. Ernie assured me he felt the same way and that it was normal.
We saw quite a few people on the trail, including one guy with just a dual-bottle fanny pack who actually passed us. Though we don't race up the trails by any means, it's a bit unusual to have someone pass us.
About 45 minutes into the hike, Ernie went off-trail to relieve himself and immediately began swatting at the mosquitoes that swarmed over us when we stopped. Of course it was a bit awkward for him since he was occupied with something else. We decided to put on some combination insect repellent and sun block I'd brought, something he hadn't brought along (grin).
The repellent was immediately effective and it allowed us to stop and enjoy the Dream Lake overlook, where Ernie took an excellent picture.
0802: Alan departs North Inlet Trailhead, Grand Lake Village, 8526'
Alan: Finding the North Inlet Trailhead was a little hard, but ultimately I was sure I'd left Mike's car in the right place. The trail distance sign was not to be believed. It said 12.8 miles to Flattop Mountain, which I later decided was really 13.8, and 16.3 to Bear Lake -- really 18.2. Whatever the actual distance, I was eager to be afoot and calm down and walk some long miles alone in the woods.
The first thing I noticed was that the trail was a road and it went downhill and there were horses and horse scat on it (phew). For the first 15 minutes I passed corrals and wire fences. After 30 minutes I passed a boarded up cabin and the road really became a trail. After that I encountered just five other groups of people the entire day.
There's not much to tell about the first five hours(!) of the hike, at least about the scenery. (I'll get to the other part in a moment.) The trail meandered slowly up a long, tree-covered, mosquito-infested valley along clear, cold, pretty North Inlet Creek, past remarkably few named or geologic features. There were a large number of small annoying ups and downs. That first 1000' of elevation gain was a killer (grin). I did enjoy Cascade Falls for a few minutes (3.5 miles in), and I was able to track my position pretty well by "pilotage", creek crossings, one unnamed puddle I passed, and later, switchbacks.
0900: Mike and Ernie at Emerald Lake overlook
Mike: We decided to take a snack break. We took our packs off at Emerald Lake overlook and each enjoyed the fresh bacon, ham, cheese and onion muffins Bobbea had made the night before, using a variation of the Baldpate Inn muffin recipe. I also popped some Ibuprofen to try to pre-empt a small twinge in my right knee.
At this stop we met a guy from Indiana with whom we talked for a bit. He proudly told us of his family, further up the trail, including two volleyball-star daughters who had just played in a national championship in Denver. We took his picture, and he asked if we saw them later to let them know he was fine. After a couple more pictures, including the laughingly staged "cliffhanger" picture, we headed on up the trail.
A bit later Ernie asked if he could use one of my trekking poles I still had strapped to my pack. I took the other one and we both used them. They were a big help later on snowfields, and in general.
0930: Alan's ankle says "enough"
Alan: An hour and a half and three miles into the hike my ankle, which had been feeling pretty good lately, reminded me it was still damaged. A sharp, biting pain emerged and grew steadily. Hmm... I took a break to wrap it and put two Ibuprofens in my pocket. Wrapping didn't help much, so five minutes later I ate one Vitamin I. That didn't help much either, so twenty minutes later I ate the other one. That didn't help much more either. At the next rest break I fashioned a crude sort of orthotic device from a bandanna and put it in my boot. That helped a little, but not for long.
I debated turning back after just four miles, but I decided it wasn't getting any worse and I might as well push on. The pain was on the side of my ankle and not right in the joint. "Pain is just a sensory input... Ouch!" That was the pattern for the remainder of the hike. Every time I rested and stretched my ankle it got better, but 20-30 minutes later the sharp pain would return. Sometimes I walked normally and sometimes gingerly, but I still made pretty good progress.
The flimsy aspen walking stick I brought from home snapped in half and I replaced it with another flimsy aspen walking stick (found in a rare patch of aspen) that lasted the rest of the way.
0945: Mike and Ernie nearing Flattop Mountain
Mike: We saw people sitting on rocks just below the last large snowfield before the summit of Flattop Mountain. When we asked we learned they were Mr. Indiana's family. We joked and laughed but assured them he was fine. They seemed pleased he'd made it to the Emerald overlook.
1000: Mike and Ernie reach Flattop Mountain, 12324'
Mike: We reached the summit, although it's pretty unremarkable. Just a large expanse of rocks. After a brief pause, we headed on to Hallett Peak, pausing once to look down Tyndall Gorge and take a picture.
1050: Mike and Ernie reach Hallett Peak, 12713'
Mike: We reached the summit of Hallett Peak quickly. Incredibly, though Ernie's lived and hiked here all his life, this was his first time on Hallett Peak. My second. We spoke for a few minutes with a Japanese guy, from what we could gather, an academic temporarily based in Boulder. He asked about going down Andrews Glacier. Gave him a muffin.
A few minutes later, Ernie said, "I've got something for you." He went over to his pack and came back, amazingly, with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer! I couldn't believe he'd carried it up in his pack. I didn't feel like I could drink it at that altitude and with another ~14 miles to hike, so he put it back in his pack.
1145: Mike and Ernie depart Hallett Peak
Mike: Still on the summit, but about to leave, we looked up at someone walking on the summit and it was Steve, a guy Ernie works with! We took his picture, then started heading down southwest, going cross-country to intercept the trail going down to the North Inlet.
1148: Alan reaches North Inlet junction, 9600'
Alan: At the trail junction to Lake Nokoni the sign said I'd made 8.0 miles in just under four hours with barely 1000' in net elevation gain. It also said I had 5.8 miles more to Flattop, which made sense. I turned left and up the hill. The real climbing started, some long switchbacks out of the main valley and into the Hallett Creek drainage. I knew it didn't matter, but I was eager to reach the Hallett Creek crossing, our estimated meeting point, ahead of Mike and Ernie, even if it meant hiking one stretch for more than an hour. I like to take a rest break about every hour, and with my ankle I really needed them more often.
Above the switchbacks a big storm approached with thunder while I crossed a huge open area with trees impressively blown down by an avalanche some years ago. Just beyond this there were some ominous patches of snow on the trail. I hoped Mike and Ernie were getting close to the trees. Of course for all I knew they were eating muffins and waiting for rescue in an upside-down Subaru in the creek near Glacier Gorge Junction. My ham radio would not talk with their cell phone (grin).
1250: Mike and Ernie meet backpackers and snowfields
Mike: We ran into a guy coming up the trail who asked if we'd seen a large group of backpackers. We hadn't, but as we stood there talking they came into view up the trail. When we left he asked us to tell his girlfriend further down the trail that they'd been found. About five minutes down the trail we saw her and gave the message.
We were still well above treeline and could see a storm that might or might not threaten us. We kept hiking down the rocky trails and switchbacks. As we got lower we ran into a lot of sizable snowfields, some of them so dangerous that we elected to shortcut the trail rather than risk a long slide/fall. We postholed a bit on some of the snowfields, and I sometimes got some snow in the tops of my boots.
We started seeing a few sprinkles and could hear some fairly distant thunder. We also began to get below treeline, which was good since the storm seemed closer and the danger from lightning would increase.
1255: Alan crosses Hallett Creek at ~10600'
Alan: I stopped a bit beyond the creek, just before timberline, to rest and wait out the storm. I'd started with 2.5 liters of water, and I filled one empty liter with snow to melt. Just ten minutes later...
1305: Mike and Ernie meet Alan in the trees
Mike: As we moved down the trail, I saw movement just off the trail in the trees and realized that it was Alan. It was good to see him. He'd made some very good time, having finished over half his hike even though he started at least an hour later than us.
Alan: It was a relief to encounter them. We swapped stories and car keys -- after five hours thinking about it, I still forgot and it was Mike who remembered. I did remember all the other information I wanted to offer, except about the mosquitos in North Inlet...
Anyway, I'd covered more than half the distance and vertical, but still had plenty of uphill ahead of me, but I told Mike I would continue even if I had to wait until evening for the weather to clear. That committed me to finishing because his car would not be waiting at my starting trailhead.
Mike: We got out our rain gear, sat, rested, and talked for awhile under the trees, out of the light rain. When I mentioned that I'd forgotten to call Bobbea on the cellular phone while on Hallett, Alan offered to call her using his ham radio when he got up there. Ernie and I each went over to Hallett Creek and pumped some water as we were both empty. Ernie took our picture, each of us pointing in the direction we were headed next. We exchanged info on the trails ahead.
1345: Mike and Ernie depart downhill
Mike: Ernie and I headed on down, still having about 10 miles to go. Alan was about to begin the toughest stretch of his hike, but probably not before he waited out more of the weather.
1400: Mike and Ernie reach avalanche debris
Mike: Ernie and I reached the area where an old patrol cabin had been destroyed by an avalanche. Downed trees were everywhere. Shortly after, we got rid of our rain gear as the sprinkles had pretty much stopped.
1410: Alan departs uphill
Alan: I decided the storm looked gone enough (blown to the east) to leave timberline. A group of young folks was resting just above. One of their party was being painfully assisted down the trail above them after spraining his ankle. I shared some information about ankle injuries I'd just read in two medical textbooks (grin) and helped spot them across a steep snowfield on the trail. Then I continued up out of the drainage, finally enjoying some scenery, and with blessedly little ankle pain myself. I didn't see another person until I reached Bear Lake.
It was cool looking down the Hallett Creek and North Inlet drainages all the way to Grand Lake, far in the distance.
1510: Mike and Ernie reach North Inlet junction
Mike: We reached the trail junction for the trail going to Nokoni and Nanita, and saw a large rock on which we could take a long break. We found a comfortable place to sit, and Ernie rummaged around in his pack and handed me a glass bottle of Stewart's Orange and Cream soda, then pulled another out for himself! Amazing! I began to wonder what else he had stashed in his small summit pack!
We enjoyed the drinks with another of Bobbea's muffins. Also, I took off my shoes and put on a fresh pair of socks. Took some more Ibuprofen. Left my shoes off to let my boots dry out. Ernie laid back and took a short nap. I fiddled with my gear a bit and waited. We reapplied sun screen and repellent. Ernie was dreading the long stretch ahead, and suggested we hike hard and fast for an hour to put three miles or so behind us. We agreed that we were running a bit behind "schedule".
1535: Mike and Ernie resume the trek
Mike: We hit the trail again feeling refreshed. In fact I felt almost as good as when we started! And the worst part of the hike was over. We had 8.0 miles to go, but it was all pretty gentle downhill trail through the woods and along the North Inlet. We hiked fairly fast and really didn't stop much to speak of for the next hour.
Ernie and Alan had both commented that the last four or five miles were boring, but I wouldn't say it that way -- it was definitely long and we were wishing it was over, but the gorgeous mountain and forest scenery, combined with the refreshing walk along the North Inlet, was anything but boring.
I couldn't get over how many campsites we saw along this trail. It seems like there were at least 10!
1538: Alan departs trail at 11900'
Alan: I worried about another dark cloud growing to the southwest now that I was on my way across the Divide. I figured I needed 2.5 - 3 hours to get back to timberline on the east side. Fortunately the cloud didn't do much and I could relax. I actually spent 4:30 above treeline.
After passing a herd of elk resting in a boggy tundra garden, I decided to turn northeast off the trail and head for Hallett Peak. This resulted in traveling about the same distance as the direct route but 400' more vertical gain.
It was a slow, tired, torturous ascent on big rocks and tundra to the top. "Hallett Peak the hard way" -- 8.5 hours and ~4500' total gain, and apparently not really in shape for it. I ate a lot of glucose candy (burp) and it kept me going.
1635: Alan reaches Hallett Peak
Alan: I was exhausted when I got there. I plotzed (Yiddish for "collapsed") and rested and called Mike's wife in Estes via ham radio to check in with her. I was really glad to be done with the serious uphills for the day... Just a long, familiar downhill run home from there. I enjoyed the now routine, somewhat cloudy, dreary scenery. Fantasized about heading straight for Bear Lake and finding a way down the cliffs to Emerald Lake, or descending Tyndall Glacier without an ice axe. Maybe another time. An eagle soared past...
1700: Mike and Ernie take another rest
Mike: We stopped for what would be our last sit-down rest break and sat on a log by the river. I ate a Clif Bar and drank some water. I dumped tiny rocks and stuff out of my boots for about the sixth time that day.
We were both getting pretty weary, but were still enjoying the hike and had good spirits and a good sense of humor. Ernie said he'd been on group hikes before that were so long and tiring that everyone completely lost their sense of humor -- in one case, with almost five hours left in the hike.
1710: Alan departs Hallett Peak
Alan: Sure enough my ankle started complaining again as soon as I went downhill. I still had my sense of humor too, but nobody laughed at my jokes (grin). I picked my way carefully along the Divide around Tyndall Glacier. On top of Flattop Mountain I petted a favorite "monument rock" I first photographed nearly 20 years ago.
1745: Alan departs Flattop Mountain
Alan: Nothing left but the 4.4 miles downhill to Bear Lake. According to my marked up map, on two previous hikes it had taken 2:45 to cover that distance, once in the winter and once on a "mellow" day. I wondered if I could do better. Oops, there was a lot of snow hidden below treeline, and more mosquitos too, enough that you could treat them as an inhalable protein source.
I still made good time with quiet rest stops at the Emerald and then Dream Lake overlooks. The elfish timberline forest was a fabulous, mystical green in the late-day light.
1800: Mike and Ernie nearing the trailhead
Mike: We stopped again because we were getting too warm. Ernie wet a camp towel and washed up. I could tell that his experiment with hiking and illness wasn't working very well. We were feeling very tired, but knew we were getting pretty close to being done. We saw a lot more people now, as we were well into the range of short dayhikes from the North Inlet trailhead.
1845: Mike and Ernie reach North Inlet Trailhead
Mike: Around 1830 I asked Ernie how much longer he thought we had. He estimated 30 minutes, but I think he was trying to be conservative because in only 15 minutes we came into view of the North Inlet Trailhead and my car. Ahh, but it was good to be done!
We slowly stripped off our packs and threw them in the trunk. Man we were tired after 18 miles or so of hiking, but we felt good. I called Bobbea as we drove down into Grand Lake proper and told her we'd be starting back soon. Ernie and I stopped off at a little store where I bought and consumed a pint of Gatorade and two bags of M&Ms.
1900: Mike and Ernie make the long drive home
Mike: As we drove back, Ernie was so worn out (and probably sick, too) that he seemed to fall asleep several times as we talked. Turns out the next day he went to the doctor and they gave him some antibiotics. When we got back we had a beer, relaxed, and recounted the day's hiking to Bobbea.
That evening I was tired, my body complaining that it had done some major work, but I really felt great overall. In fact, I know I've felt worse after shorter treks. My right knee was pretty sore, but with the help of more Ibuprofen, even that was gone by the next day. I feel pretty confident that I'm in more than good enough shape for Longs Peak now.
1943: Alan reaches Bear Lake trailhead
Alan: I was tired and achy and a little crampy but nothing serious. I could still walk on that danged ankle. I found my car at Bear Lake and let out a wimpy "Hi-Yo" that nobody else in the parking lot seemed to notice. I drove home with a stop to call Mike's wife again to "check out". I heard Mike and Ernie had arrived at Grand Lake right about on time.
Wednesday morning:
Alan: It was a rude awakening this morning after nearly 10 hours sleep, but then I felt surprisingly good. My foot was as good (bad) as ever; I didn't trash it like I thought I would, and I could even double-time up steps. I was just generally achy and done in, to be expected. Life is good.
(Next trip report: 1997_0728-29_FortCollinsFlood.htm)