The weather forecast for the weekend called for alot of rain. I abandoned my plan to climb a couple of 14ers, especially after the previous weekend's constant cloudiness. When I left Lakewood in pouring rain, I figured I would just do alot of driving around, but thankfully the rain parted and I got a great hike in within the Rollins Pass area. I had heard great things about the area, and it certainly did not disappoint.
As I was driving toward Rollinsville, I could see that the Continental Divide had received some snow the night before. I didn't realize at the time the extent that I would come to understand this.
As I hiked along, I began noticing small pockets of snow remnants. As I gained additional elevation, these pockets slowly spread over the ground...and then the trail...and then started dropping from the trees (onto me!) as they melted away.
After being engulfed in the trees the majority of the hike, I finally emerged from the trees and into a grand scene.
Crater Lakes were an amazing destination, especially in this surreal scene.Some marmots kept me company as I explored the snowy scene. They were very inquisitive of my presence. It was like they were trying to tell me, "Hey buddy, don't you know that a snowstorm is coming."
I had noticed clouds were pouring over the Continental Divide, so I left my marmot friends behind and moved on down the trail. Then the unfathomable occurred.
With my feet totally soaked and snow pelting my face, I decided I needed to do something I had never done previously. I built a snowman from freshly fallen snow....in August.
2 comments:
It's official, Nate. You live in the coolest place, ever.
The videos are a nice touch. It definitely gives me a better appreciation for where you are. Pictures are great, but they don't do the scene justice like the video does.
Keep 'em coming and I'll watch 'em.
Post a Comment