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Across the Divide

I love using a tent camper for many reasons, but one of my favorite is that I also love hiking, and a camper puts me in close proximity to my favorite trails. I’m a Colorado native and have spent all my life wandering the trails of Rocky Mountain National Park. No visit to Colorado is complete without seeing this spectacular one of a kind gem. One trail I have wanted to do for some time is the Flattop Mountain trail which takes you across the Continental Divide from Bear Lake on the Estes Park side of the park to Grand Lake on the west side of RMNP. In August 2009 I finally made time to spend a few days in the backcountry hiking this trail.

This is not a trail for the faint of heart; don’t try it unless you are physically prepared for a strenuous hike. The hike is difficult because of its extended climb, steep trail and high altitude, finishing at 12,300 feet. The hard part is the very beginning. From the Bear Lake trailhead, you start heading uphill after a quarter mile stroll around the lake, and every step for the next four miles is uphill. I don’t claim to be any world class athlete, so I take plenty of ‘view’ breaks while I’m climbing. About two miles into the hike you get the first of many rewards as you climb above Dream Lake and a short while further, Emerald Lake in the canyon below, with Mills Lake to the south below Longs Peak. These two hikes are also two of my favorites in the Park, and are much more accessible for kids and those who don’t want as strenuous a hike as Flattop Mountain.

The real work begins now as you move above treeline and cross to the northern slope of the mountain. You are rewarded with a remarkable view of the Estes Valley and the plains in the distance. You know you are getting close to the summit as you skirt the canyon containing Odessa Lake on the north side of Flattop. I almost had to turn around at this point due to threatening weather.

Particularly when hiking above timberline it is important to try to be off the mountain top by early afternoon to lessen the threat of lightning strike. Even though it was still well before noon, the sky began to darken rapidly as I began crossing to the north. To the west above the summit I began hearing the rumble of thunder. I kept climbing but as I began to meet some day hikers coming down they warned me of lashing rain and lightning on the summit and beyond. The weather was still good where I was at, but about 400 feet below the summit, I finally had to stop and try to seek safety. I put on every piece of clothing I had, moved away from my metallic hiking poles, and squatted down behind a large boulder hoping the boulder field around me would offer some protection against lightning. The squall line moved over me, giving me a good soaking in a cold, strong wind, but it didn’t last long, and typically Colorado, the clouds burned off and presented a bright, sunny afternoon. I hiked on up to the summit, found a comfortable spot for lunch and enjoyed a good rest and an awesome 360 degree view.

The trail splits on top of Flattop and offers two trails that both eventually lead to Grand Lake on the west side. I chose the North Inlet Trail, and the rest of the first day is about another four to five miles across the tundra before dropping down a steep series of switchbacks into the North Inlet drainage and July campground. This is a really beautiful setting surrounded by lush vegetation and wildflowers. The west side of the Continental Divide and Rocky Mountain National is much greener due the heavier rain and snowfall on this side of the park. A nice meal followed by a sound sleep in a light rain ended a fantastic day.

The next morning was a short leg down further into the North Inlet Valley and my second campsite, Pine Marten. Within about a mile I was again rewarded with a breathtakingly scenic view of the valley with Andrews Peak and Ptarmigan Mountain looming on its western edge. I was rewarded again when I got to Pine Marten with probably the nicest backcountry campsite I have ever visited. The site is perched on a small cliff above the North Inlet River, perfectly level with a soft sand base, and plenty of room to spread out gear, cooking and eating areas. After setting up camp I decided to take a side hike up to Lake Nokoni and Lake Nanita.

This is a fairly strenuous hike in itself with lots of climbing to do. This is a very remote region of the park, difficult to get to for the average day hiker. The two lakes are very beautiful, absolutely pristine mountain lakes. Lake Nanita seemed to have an abundant population of rainbow trout although I didn’t try my luck. The lakes sit at the base of both Ptarmigan Mountain and Andrews Peak; I enjoyed relaxing and reading a book in the warm sun in the fantastic scenery. The hike back down offered its own pleasures with wonderful views of Mt Alice and Chiefs Head peak at the southern end of the valley. A star filled clear sky in the wilderness was a great ending to a memorable day.

The last day is a long hike down to Grand Lake along the North Inlet River. The trail is very good and offers a number of excellent lunch stops, I chose the Big Pool to rest, eat and watch the trout frolic. This valley has been severely damaged by the pine beetle epidemic which Colorado has been suffering through. I was conscious the entire hike out of falling trees (widowmakers). Really not much you can do about them except be aware.

As I got within a couple of miles of Grand Lake I was greeted on the trail by a cow moose and her two cubs. They were not very concerned about me, much more concerned with the sweet meadow grass they were munching on, but I was more than content to wait patiently for them to move past me in their own time. It is never a good idea to get too close to any wild animal, doubly so for a mother with young, and moose in particular have been known to charge if threatened. Even a cow moose is an immense animal, and surprisingly nimble.

The home stretch takes you through Summerland Park just outside of Grand Lake. By this point in the journey I was tired, smelly and having hallucinations of cheeseburgers and beer. My favorite part of the hike was walking into downtown Grand Lake straight from the wilderness. I strolled into a comfortable looking brew pub with my pack on, sat down and enjoyed a cold one. What I love about living in Colorado is that the locals didn’t give me a second thought, perfectly normal!

My next project is doing the Rim to Rim at the Grand Canyon. I’m going to call the combination the Hi-Lo Crisscross. More to follow…..

Ray Reeves