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 57 - Rocky Mountain National Park

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Day 43 - Capitol Reef

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Day 54 - Great Sand Dunes

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