The Backpacking Trip That Wasn’t

6/28/14

Story by Nicole

We’ve wanted to backpack to Herman Lake in the Arapaho National Forest since before we had backpacking equipment. It’s a stunning mountain lake at the top of a ridiculous four and a half mile hike that climbs from 10,000 feet to 12,000 feet. This trail is not for the faint of heart (or lungs), but as soon as we saw the top in the summer of 2013, we knew we would be back. So, in June of 2014, with 40-pound packs, we made our backpacking attempt.

With the starting of Map My Run, our journey begins. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole heads up the trail. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

One thing we had wondered about was whether the area would be melted out enough to camp. The ground was soaked, with water running down the trail, and we began seeing snow at around 11,000 feet.

The water-glazed path. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

We stopped a couple of times for snacks and pack readjusting. We were not quite fit enough to make it up in one go.

Nicole prepares her pack for the next step of the journey. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

It is fairly difficult to climb the Herman Gulch trail without the Sound of Music starting to play in one’s head. The scenery is starkly beautiful, with green fields full of wildflowers contrasting against white mountain peaks. Avalanches and late snow had pushed the full growth of the meadow, but the trees and mountains remained as stunning as always.

We pause in an avalanche path. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

About a mile from the top, we started running into significant amounts of snow. We put on crampons and followed the faint trail on top of the snowpack.

Footprints through the woods. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole takes on the final climb. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

At long last, we made it to the top. We instantly decided that it was far too cold, snowy, and wet to camp that night, but we were happy to see the lake again. A random man at the top took some out-of-focus pictures of us. In them, we are blurry, exhausted, accomplished.

We reach the lake at last. (Photo/Random Guy at Herman Lake)

We spent half an hour at the lake, catching our breath and eating a snack. We made friends with a marmot, who could not decide if we were sources of tasty food or danger. He waddled from rock to rock, hopping up to peer at us occasionally. Don’t worry, we did not feed him.

Our marmot friend hides in the rocks. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

Nicole perches on a rock beside Herman Lake. (Photo/Jason Rafal)

In the end, we headed home, promising each other that we would try again later in the summer.

Backpacks at Herman Lake. (Photo/Jason Rafal)