If the hike up to Crater Lake in Aspen is considered as "strenuous," I have a hard time to best describe the hike to Sky Pond at Rocky Mountain National Park. It's rated by hikers as the most worthwhile hike inside the park -- totaling 11.3 miles and 8 hours round trip.
It's
not just about the miles or the hours, it's about the difficulty to reach
to the top -- the rocky, slippery terrains, the snow-covered narrow trails cutting
through the sliding mountains, the easily missed turns on
the trail due to the deep snow... plus a 1200 feet gain in elevation.
Coming
back down the snowy mountains was even more challenging as the spikes on
my hiking boots failed to provide firm support when the slope of the mountains was so
deep.
A week before this adventure, a hiker wrote the following about his ordeal hiking up to Sky Pond:
The
trail to Sky Pond was very icy and snow-packed the entire way from the
trailhead, with deeper snow-pack the further up the trail. Past The
Loch, the snow was very deep, all the way up to Timberline Falls.
Timberline Falls was icy, very slippery, with very cold, rushing water.
The waterfall was treacherous with slippery rocks and frigid water.
Coming down was even more frightening.
Nonetheless,
here I am with the photos of Sky Pond in perfect condition -- a huge
part of the lake was still frozen and the snow was still on the
surrounding mountains...
Sky Pond
Elevation: 11,000 ft.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Estes Park, Colorado
June 8, 2023
iPhone Photos
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