Steps in the Right Direction: Pitkin Lake near Vail, CO

10.45 miles
6 hr 51 mins
No rain
8,389 feet to 11,375 feet
3,238 feet up 3,199 feet down
Total 106.85 miles

Pitkin Lake near Vail, CO

We really want to do our last hike over in Fancy Pass or as we call it Fancy Pants. But sadly Highway 24 is closed due to a collapsed tunnel that runs under the road. Earlier in the week traffic was still able to flow through down to one lane with a flag guy, but I guess they needed to call in the big guns and therefore shut it down to all traffic. So we take Highway 91 up to Copper Mountain and then I 70 down to Vail.

We hiked one of the major slot canyons up to the end of the valley. Here we found an alpine lake at the head of a cirque. The lake was deep and you could see the trout swimming around and surfacing to eat bugs that had the misfortune of landing on the water. I'm not very good at identifying the trout population so perhaps some of our fishing virtual hikers can help us out. The fish I saw were dark grey/ brown tops and then orangey redish brown bellies and lower sides. They were pretty large I suppose ranging in the 8 to 12 inch size. Looked like it would be fun to toss a line in and see if you could get one to bite.

Now let's talk trail. This hike is a doozy of an uphill hike. Lucky for most people who might think they would like to take this hike because it starts with some major uphill right away. Like those signs at amusement parks that warn those with heart conditions to turn back, this first climb is so steep and strenuous you would just turn around right a way and go to town to shop... Of course we at this point in the vacation have seen this type of uphill and although it is not exactly what we had in mind, it will have to do as the road to Fancy Pants (Pass)was closed.

By now in our vacation we have the lungs to do this hike, but I sure am glad this is not our first hike up hill. The hike is listed as a 4.5 mile trip up to the lake. It is not. The person who wrote the trip notes must have forgot that the trail switchbacks many times and this puts extra mileage on your trip. I secretly think they never took the hike and just drew a straight line up the valley and measured it with a ruler. Perhaps they too were virtual hikers.

The first 4.50 miles of this hike are in the deep woods. No views to be had, to bad there were no great smells either. Just a trudge uphill and some breath taking. At the half way point there is a water fall with a nice rock outcropping to sit on and have a snack. We even have cell phone service so we shoot a picture and email it off. The wonders of technology make me ponder why I loose reception on the phone on my drive to Minnesota while on I 90/94, but I can hike up a valley in the mountains and have 4 bars...

Waterfall is halfway point of hike and a nice snack spot.

The last three quarters of a mile the tree line falls away, and suddenly the wild flowers are busting out all over the place. Hey, now this is what we came to see. One just has to take in the view with your eyes. We shoot lots of pictures, but the camera just never does the view the justice that it deserves.

We sit on some large boulders by the lake side and watch fish, look at the lake, talk about our adventure from this year. This trip was a surprise trip for me. As some of you might already know this year I turned 50. Yes, it is hard for me to believe too! 50 .... The vacation for this year was on hold because we did not have a dog sitter for Hattie. Hattie had special needs. She needed a person to take care of her who could deal with the multitude of anxiety issues which Hattie dealt with everyday. So secretly Kathi found a person who could take care of Hattie. With that handled, Kathi began to put together the surprise 50th hiking adventure!

Trees are finally starting to thin out so you can see the valley you are hiking

Looking back towards Vail, that would be way back at the hardly can see mountain

Up at lake looking down the valley

Pitkin Lake

During January, February, March, April, all I could do was keep looking at pictures of past vacations and trying to think of all the different ways Hattie could go on vacation with us or different ideas of possible dog sitters. I had looked up rentals that allowed dogs, looked up renting an RV, thought about borrowing my Dad's big 350 Ford pick up and dragging a RV trailer around. Every time I came up with an idea, Kathi caboshed the idea. All the time she was secretly making her plans. Nice! And great plans they were!

I think there were a few times when we were taking in our breath taking views up those two fourteen'ers that Kathi breathlessly asked me if I was enjoying by birthday.... Well yes, of course it's the mountains, what could make it better? Everything was perfect!