Lake Ptarmigan

This was our destination:  Ptarmigan Lake (do you know how to pronounce Ptarmigan?)

6.6 mile out and back hike starting at an elevation of 10,770 feet.  Trail was rated moderate.

This was the first of two huge boulder fields that we had to cross.

I will tell you this is one of the most spectacular sights I have ever seen.  I was just hoping and praying that a earthquake wouldn't occur while we were out in the middle of the field.

The picture might give you a little better perspective of the size of the second boulder field we crossed.

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Up, up, up we went.  It took almost three hours to reach the summit, mainly because we had to stop and breathe every few feet because the oxygen was mighty scarce.

This was the lower lake.  I thought it was quite beautiful, but we had another half mile and the steepest part of the hike to go before we reached Lake Ptarmigan.

There's always time to stop and smell the flowers along the way. 

This is Irv looking back at me while I'm whining saying "I can't do it".  He's a good motivator and guess what...

I did it!  You know what the best part is about hiking to a point above the timberline?  The view!  It was absolutely breathtaking.  Incredible!  A sight I'll never forget.  Those are the Collegiate Peaks-Harvard, Yale, and Princeton (I think).

We had been watching the weather roll in all day.  We expected rain, but instead we got a dappling of snow. (It's true!)  At the top we stopped briefly for a granola bar and a Gatorade before the descent.  Yes, it was cold at the top, my hands were nearly froze and of course we were those hikers without the appropriate winter gear.

Even Irv put on a second layer.  One of the coolest things we encountered there were the howls of a couple wolves calling back and forth to each other.  That was a special treat.

On the way down we found red mushrooms.  Then we found some ladies picking mushrooms.  They said "don't eat the red mushrooms".  Luckily, I had never planned to eat any mushroom I found.

This was an amazing hike.  We only came across a couple dozen people at the most all day.  It went deep into the backwoods.  We were prepared with bear spray, but thankfully we didn't need it.

Except for a couple squirrels, chipmunks, and birds this was the only wildlife we came across.  I have now confirmed that it is a Pika.  It was darn cute!

We also saw some amazing rocks.  This one with all the moss was my favorite.

When was the last time you hiked to 12,000 feet?  I love Colorado!