2010 July 27 Loch Lake: Rest Day

Loch Lake with Andrews Glacier in the back

2010 Day 11 July 27 Loch Lake: Rest Day


We woke up this morning thinking we should have a nice easy day as we are planning on going up Longs Peak tomorrow. We drove up to Longs ranger station for a current weather report. 40% chance of rain for tomorrow. Ranger gave us two things to think about:

1) If you get up and hike all the way up to the keyhole and the rocks are wet at the key hole- stop and think.

2) If you get all of the way up to the key hole and you can’t stand up as the wind is so strong-stop and think. You can bet I am packing my thinking cap in my back pack for sure!

We drove to the park and ride and cattle loaded onto a bus up to Glacier Basin. The park is so full of people! We are standing nose to armpit on the bus. As usual you can get in some nice conversations even with your nose up someone else’s sleeve. We hike up to Loch Lake. Right when you are at the beginning of Loch Lake you get some fabulous views of Andrews Glacier. We strain to see to see if we can see anyone sliding down. Nope.

As we are heading up we run into our troop of boy scouts with their Dad’s. We ask if they had fun on the glacier. Of course they did. They asked us to mail a letter to one of the wives letting the wife know all was well! No problem, Midwesterners need to stick together! They are off to go into town and pick up a food drop so they can make their way up to camp overnight in the Boulder Field of Longs Peak.

At Loch Lake it is windy and overcast. We put on our rain coat to block the wind and then found a really nice rock to sit have some lunch and do some reading. We got nice and settled when a family of 4 kids with Mom, Dad and Grandpa invaded our rock and peacefulness. This lake is enormous; you would think they could find their own ‘space’. It was not to be. I think Mom and Dad were worn down from realigning the kids. (I chose not to say discipline the kids. The kids seemed immune to any comments from Mom or Dad.) We left when the peanut butter sandwich argument broke out. One kid wanted to pick out their own peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the bag. The other child wanted to be owner of the bag and yell that all of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were the same, so just take what I give you. This argument will never be solved. We will just move 

We found a new rock on the enormous Loch Lake. Took out our lunch and watched a fly fisherman cast. The looping of the fly line while the fisherman is casting is pure pleasure. Fly fishermen must really like to cast and cast, it is very mesmerizing. (Well come to think of it fishermen like to make senseless trails also!) With all of the fisherman we watched, no one ever even had a bite. They must need a bamboo pole, red and white bobber with a good ole worm on a J hook, because you can look right in the water and see the trout right off of shore.

Not long into our lunch we notice the dark clouds are getting kind of uppity. We haven’t even cracked our books yet and already it looks like rain. Oh well, we pack up and head back down. We can go back to town do a little shopping and poking around then get home and go to bed early.

Sorry short and restful day.

3 hour hike. 704 calories burned, 1000 feet of elevation gained, 6.2 miles, 105.8 total miles