Day 88 - Glacier Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan Tunnel

My plan for the day was to combine two popular hikes into one: a hike to Iceberg Lake, a frozen lake set below 3000 foot towering cliffs, and Ptarmigan Tunnel, a 137 foot long tunnel cut into a high alpine pass that was closed by the park service.

The hike began with a close-up sighting of five bighorn sheep:

The impressive Ptarmigan wall is a constant eye-sore on the way to the Iceberg Lake:)

So small am I:

Ptarmigan Lake glows blue amid the snow banks going up to Ptarmigan Tunnel. The trail was clear though all the way to the tunnel, but the iron door of the tunnel was bolted shut: impassable. Luckily, I saw a route up the slippery talus field eighty feet up to a notch above the tunnel- easy and safe for me.

More moutain goats met me at the high pass. This family seemed annoyed by my unlikely presence here, so after a stare-down period, I backed away down the talus field, allowing them to pass and me to check out the high ridge they came from.

The colorful view beyond was worth the scramble up!

One more mountain-conquerer pose and I scrambled down and off the moutain, back to civilization:

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Day 96 - Banff Cirque Peak

OMG Canada. Today was my favorite day. The climb to Cirque Peak started with a lovely hike to Helen Lake, climbing quickly at the start but then gently roaming on the backside of the valley, above tree line and with views south to infinity. I made it quickly to the lake then continued on the trail to Dolomite Pass, scrambling on top of the ridge beyond Helen Lake. My destination : Once on top of the ridge (above my head), I hiked around another lake and up the sandy right side of Cirque Peak, following the route picture from the scramble guide. I eventually made it to a snowbank at the crest of the upper ridge. I figured walking below the snowbank to the nose would be safer for me with little snow experience, but I saw old steps cut up the near-vertical snowbank and I decided to go for it. Kicking steps with my right then left foot then propelling my hiking poles right then left deep in the snow above, I inched my way up a snow wall, keeping three solid contact p...

Day 62 - Colorado National Monument

Established as a national monument early in 1911, Colorado NM is known for its high canyon "rim road" and sandstone spires of Monument Canyon. The canyons of west Colorado are pretty--as they have more green trees and shrubs than the more famous Utah canyons. This gives them a more alive feeling, although the sandstone spires were formed many thousands of years ago by erosion. Rim Rock road curves up the the top of the canyon cliff, goes through several round tunnels and is lined with scenic viewpoints. The best views were in he Monument Canyon section, and included in sequence, the Coke Ovens, The Kissing Couple (behind my head), and the most famous of all: Independence Monument, the tall spire in pic 3 and viewed from the side in pic 4. The original promoter and caretaker of the park, John Otto, was the first person to climb Independence Monument and now it's a climbing right of passage. Every July 4 climbers ascend and mount an American flag at the summit. Fun! ...

Day 48 - Dead Horse Point

Cowboys used to corral horses beyond the narrow neck of this high point overlooking the Colorado River. They would then fence them in and when they returned take the strongest horses and leave the weaker ones to die without water at this to-be-named Dead Horse Point State Park. Terrible name and story, great views. 500 feet higher in elevation than the just-across-the-canyon Canyonlands Island in the Sky, Dead Horse Point does have a must-see view of the mighty Colorado and vast canyons behind. I arrived mid-afternoon and hiked the east rim trail a mile and a half to the far point, meandered along the west rim a bit and then hiked back along the road. Knowing sunset time was special in this canyon country, I decided to wait a bit for the sun to fall. I drove this time to the far point, then walked around in search of the best vantage point. Before the sun actually set, I drove on, first to a full closeby campground and then on an hour to Moab, to the campground f...

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