9.3.12: Lake Isabelle and Pawnee Pass, CO

Today was my first hike of this Colorado visit, and since it was Labor Day and he had work off, Eliot joined me as we headed to the beautiful Indian Peaks Wilderness. As we gained elevation on the drive to Brainard Lake, I was curious how I would deal with the altitude. I had only been in Colorado for a day and a half and hadn’t done anything active. On Saturday night, Eliot and I drove to south Denver to meet up with some friends and watch Michigan get spanked by Alabama. We stayed the night in the area and then met up with Kevin — whom I hadn’t seen in probably nine years — on Sunday for an offensive inning of the Rockies game and more drinking.

So to summarize, my first day and a half in Colorado was spent sitting around watching sports and consuming alcohol. Not exactly the best way to prepare for hiking at extreme altitude. On the plus side, I considered myself to be in very good shape, thanks in large part to the personal training sessions at my gym in D.C.

We were one of hundreds of people who had the same idea for a Labor Day hike. When we arrived at the recreation area, dozens and dozens of cars were already parked along the road. The hike started at 10,515 feet, and right away I could feel the altitude in my rubbery legs. I wasn’t about to fall or anything, but there’s no denying that it was affecting me. Going from 5,000 to 10,000 feet just like that can’t be easy for any flat-lander like myself.

But as we hiked the fairly level, mostly wooded trail alongside Long Lake, I began to acclimate and gain strength. It was an easy 2 miles to Lake Isabelle, the popular destination for most of the day’s hikers. The lake was extremely low, as we could tell from the sandy banks that appeared were used to being part of the body of water. Still, that didn’t take away from the beauty of the scenery. The jagged, piercing summits of the Indian Peaks rose up and towered all around the lake. The wind gusted at around 20 mph.

It was around noon, which is far from early when it comes to hiking in Colorado because of the afternoon thunderstorms that often arrive out of nowhere, especially during the summer. So the decision to continue 2.5 miles to Pawnee Pass wasn’t a no-brainer. From my standpoint, I didn’t feel like I’d exerted a lot of energy getting to Lake Isabelle, which just required 400 feet of elevation gain, and I wanted to gain more elevation in preparation for my 14ers trip beginning the next day. We decided to start up toward the Pass, with the expectation that we might not get all the way there.

As we started up the trail, we felt a couple drops of rain and a nebulous cloud settled overhead. If it had gotten any darker or if the rain had pounded us any harder, we would have turned around. Fortunately, however, the rain stopped and the sky brightened. We marched onward.

The going was a mix of gradual and steep, and we soon emerged from the thin treeline into the open, climbing switchbacks up a rock-strewn landscape. Peaks towered above us as we hiked. I was surprised that the altitude didn’t affect me more, like it had at the beginning of our hike.

After about 90 minutes of climbing, we reached Pawnee Pass on the Continental Divide at 12,555 feet. Out in the open, with nothing to block the wind, we were blown around as gusts of up to 40mph hit us. I quickly layered up in my fleece, pants and winter hat. It was COLD! It was also beautiful. We continued a couple hundred feet beyond the Divide and were rewarded with a whole new slew of mountains to gaze at to the West. We took it all in, snapped a few photos while making sure our cameras weren’t blown away, then headed back down the trail.

MILES HIKED: 9.1
PEAKS: None, but the high point was Pawnee Pass (12,555 feet)
DOGS SEEN: Approximately 63 of varying breeds