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no.033

I spent some time browsing the numerous backcountry camp sites around and just below the lower lake. I'm sure I looked at twenty sites, and probably missed many more. I eventually chose a nice, quiet site with a fire ring off trail in the forest south of the lake outlet. My buddy Kevin would be hiking into the area the next day, so I had to choose a site that wouldn't be too hard to find. Even with the large number of camp sites, there is still a sense of solitude to be enjoyed. The sites are spaced nicely, or you're more likely to hear the wind than other campers. After setting up my solo tent, I stretched out on a large rock at the edge of camp for awhile — soaking in the backcountry ambiance.

After lunch, I walked back to the lake and enjoyed an afternoon of exploration and photography around the lake. I watched a few more campers arrive, but it was still a generally quiet afternoon and evening around the lower lake. After dinner at camp, I returned to the beautiful area just below the lake for sunset photography. A nice pond offered great scenery ... not only the mountains above but also some of the largest trout I've seen in the backcountry. I had left my fly rod in the car, as I figured the trout would be spawning and hard to catch. (This was exactly the case, as I learned from other fishermen.) The sun set on a warm, calm and eerily quiet evening. I packed up my camera, returned to camp and built a fire. Getting out here on a Friday had brought me solitude after all. I think I fell asleep while staring up at the stars through my tent window. It couldn't get any better.
 
The next morning, I was out of the tent at 5 a.m. I returned to the outlet stream of the lake for sunrise photography, enjoying some of the spots I had scouted the previous evening. I spent the next few hours photographing the lake area. Then I hit the trail at about 8 a.m. for a day hike. I had planned a hike to the summit of Humboldt Peak, a fairly easy fourteener that rises gently from the lakes. It's a fairly short, easy hike to the upper lake from the lower lake. Still, the high elevation will have you sucking wind. Maybe it was my big pack full of camera gear, but I was struggling as I climbed towards the upper lake.

The Upper South Colony Lake is a beautiful alpine lake set at the foot of a dramatic cirque. The Crestone Needle rises directly from the lake shores. There are a few camp sites in the tundra on the northeast/east side of the lake to offer a bit of protection from wind and lightning. Early summer wildflowers were everywhere: Buttercups. Phlox. Campion. Plenty of color. After a brief visit to the lake, I continued up to the steep switchbacks that rise to a saddle between Humboldt and Point 13,290. This portion of trail gains nearly 1,000 feet in less than a mile. I was beginning to think I was crazy for bringing all of my camera gear with me.  I need a llama. An hour after leaving the upper lake, I found myself at the top of the saddle. By this time, the trail was full of hikers and their dogs. I counted no less than 40 people on the Humboldt trail. At the saddle, I made a decision to climb the unnamed 13,290 foot summit west of Humboldt. I was thinking purely about photographic opportunities. I'm sure Humboldt has a great view, but the nearby thirteener seemed to offer stunning views of the Crestones. And nobody was headed that way. So I did.

I spent the next couple hours climbing the peak (and easy albeit steep hike), enjoying the views along the way and eventually retreating to the upper lake. The views of the Crestones and surrounding peaks were truly stunning. The Crestone Needle and Crestone Peak quickly become two of my favorite Colorado mountains. There were plenty of wildflowers and awesome views into nearby valleys. The summit also offered great views towards the Bears Playground and Kit Carson Peak. In fact, this is a popular route for hiking to the summit of Kit Carson and surrounding peaks. The weather was absolutely perfect, with no apparent threat of afternoon thunderstorms. I took my time walking down the mountain. I made it back to camp about 2 p.m. and settled into my tent for a nap. About an hour later, Kevin found my camp site.

Kevin had managed to drive the whole 4WD road in his Jeep without incident, and had even picked up a couple of climbers who were looking to cut some miles off of their weekend trip. They happened to choose the camp site next to mine, before Kevin found me. We chatted with them briefly about their plans to hike to Broken Pass, Cottonwood Lake and possible the Needle. There were plenty of hikers/climbers using the pass to reach the loftier destinations. Each day, I saw several people peering down from the summits of Crestone Needle and Peak.

After a lazy afternoon full of naps, eating Kevin's bountiful food, filtering water and watching the resident pine marten hunt around camp, we decided to head up to the Upper Lake for the evening. Maybe we'd have a nice sunset to photograph. The mountains around Milwaukee Peak rise above the lake to the east, along with Humboldt, the Crestones and Broken Hand Peak. There are dramatic views in every direction. On our way up to the lake, we noticed how many people had arrived during the day. I guessed there were now 50-60 campers in the lakes area. There seemed to be plenty of room for everyone. Despite the large number of people in this backcountry valley, it never did seem overcrowded. I wouldn’t hesitate to return to this valley any time of the year in the future.

We lingered around the upper lake while clouds took over the blue sky. Our amazing sunset never materialized, but we didn't seem to care. We were riding a high provided by the inspiring scenery. And we ran into another mountain goat. As expected, he walked up to us to check us out for a few minutes and then moved up the valley. We photographed the stream, ice and the scenic small body of water above the upper lake. We explored the tundra around the lake as the sun began to set. We stumbled upon another goat. Apparently, there is a large group of mountain goats who make the lakes area their home. Eventually, we returned to camp via head lamp and dozed around a camp fire under starry skies once again. Occasionally, we heard a dog bark, but we never would have known that there were dozens of other people around us.

The next morning, the alarm clock went off at 4 a.m. We had a lofty goal of hiking beyond the upper lake for sunrise. But the alarm was barely audible above the high winds. The winds were shaking the tent, and I knew there was no chance for lake reflection photography — my goal for the morning. Kevin concurred, and we lazily went back to sleep. Sometime around 9 a.m. we finally stirred from our tents. We both slept solidly, getting around eleven hours of sleep. Way too much! Kevin skipped his Humboldt plans and we hiked up to the upper lake once again. There is no doubt that I will camp at the upper lake on my next visit. For a photographer, there wasn't much lacking in terms of all around scenery. We spent the morning photographing the landscape. Sometime around midday, we headed back for camp to pack up for the weekend.

It was tough to leave such a beautiful place ... but family, friends and holiday fun was waiting at home. The hike out was fast and easy. The drive out was harsh and annoying. The road is even rougher when you're already worn out from backpacking/hiking for a few days. Still, it's the tough road that prevents this area from becoming severely overused. It's all part of the adventure ... an adventure I look forward to revisiting again in the near future.