After a major snowstorm on 2oth of December (about ~25 inches of snow during ~24h), as soon the the roads were more or less cleared (23rd of December), Serega and I went to Longs Peak trailhead with an ambitious plan to get to Chasm Lake (taking the red dotted path). In my opinion it's
the best hike around here, which combines high elevation (11,760 feet, 3584 meters), breath-taking scenery and good distance (4.2 miles one-way, elevation gain 2,360 feet). In August 2006 it took me about 1h 20min to get there from the ranger station. However, it can be very different during winter time, with high winds and especially deep snow.
We left Fort Collins at ~6am and drove to Estes Park. The weather was brilliantly clear and still, as it often happens after storms. Clouds were slowly rolling over the mountaintops from the west, filling the gullies. Beautiful view, well worth waking up at ~5. Driving through Estes Park, we also saw a bunch of dears, probably stealing food from horses. It's interesting how animals here are not afraid of people.
At ~8am we got to the Longs Peak trailhead, put snowshoes on and began the hike. The trail was pretty well broken, considering that it was only two days after a big snowstorm.
As we went further, trail became less and less packed. Finally, right before the timberline (to be precise, right before the second little bridge), the trail ended. Whoever hiked there before us became too fed up with it :-).
Trail breaking began. I was going second, after Serega, but still I was often sinking below knee. As Serega put it, "one step counted as ten". Especially going uphill on a steep gradient through fresh snow. But going became a little easier once we got above the timberline, mostly because our path wasn't as steep there. The snow was deeper then 2 meters in places (I couldn't reach the ground with a hiking pole). The little alpine tundra trees were completely buried sometimes.
Slowly we were getting closer to our destination:
After 4 hours of snowshoeing we finally got to the Chasm Junction. The weather was good, the wind was very mild, and the skies were crystal-clear. The view of the Diamond (the big triangle wall of Longs Peak), Ship's Prow and Meeker were absolutely spectacular. As you can see:
Here is Google Earth map of the area with all the names. The above photo is taken from Chasm Junction, and it includes Mount Lady Washington on the right, Longs Peak in the middle and a part of Meeker on the left.
In order for us to get to Chasm Lake itself we would have to go further, negotiating 40-50 degrees snow slopes. 2 days after a major snowstorm that whole area would be very unstable (prone to avalanches), so Serega and I had no problem with not going any further. Besides, we were pretty tired after 4 hours ascend. After taking a few pictures and a brief rest we headed down. Here is what we saw on our way back:
On this photo you can distinguish the trail we made:
The way back to the parking lot took us one and a half hours. Having a broken trail and going downhill makes a big difference, that's for sure. All in all, it was a really good day, even though we didn't get to Chasm Lake. It should make an awesome early spring snow hike/climb. We'll see.
After a major snowstorm on 2oth of December (about ~25 inches of snow during ~24h), as soon the the roads were more or less cleared (23rd of December), Serega and I went to Longs Peak trailhead with an ambitious plan to get to Chasm Lake (taking the red dotted path). In my opinion it's the best hike around here, which combines high elevation (11,760 feet, 3584 meters), breath-taking scenery and good distance (4.2 miles one-way, elevation gain 2,360 feet). In August 2006 it took me about 1h 20min to get there from the ranger station. However, it can be very different during winter time, with high winds and especially deep snow.
We left Fort Collins at ~6am and drove to Estes Park. The weather was brilliantly clear and still, as it often happens after storms. Clouds were slowly rolling over the mountaintops from the west, filling the gullies. Beautiful view, well worth waking up at ~5. Driving through Estes Park, we also saw a bunch of dears, probably stealing food from horses. It's interesting how animals here are not afraid of people.
At ~8am we got to the Longs Peak trailhead, put snowshoes on and began the hike. The trail was pretty well broken, considering that it was only two days after a big snowstorm.
As we went further, trail became less and less packed. Finally, right before the timberline (to be precise, right before the second little bridge), the trail ended. Whoever hiked there before us became too fed up with it :-). 
Trail breaking began. I was going second, after Serega, but still I was often sinking below knee. As Serega put it, "one step counted as ten". Especially going uphill on a steep gradient through fresh snow. But going became a little easier once we got above the timberline, mostly because our path wasn't as steep there. The snow was deeper then 2 meters in places (I couldn't reach the ground with a hiking pole). The little alpine tundra trees were completely buried sometimes.
Slowly we were getting closer to our destination:
After 4 hours of snowshoeing we finally got to the Chasm Junction. The weather was good, the wind was very mild, and the skies were crystal-clear. The view of the Diamond (the big triangle wall of Longs Peak), Ship's Prow and Meeker were absolutely spectacular. As you can see:
Here is Google Earth map of the area with all the names. The above photo is taken from Chasm Junction, and it includes Mount Lady Washington on the right, Longs Peak in the middle and a part of Meeker on the left.
In order for us to get to Chasm Lake itself we would have to go further, negotiating 40-50 degrees snow slopes. 2 days after a major snowstorm that whole area would be very unstable (prone to avalanches), so Serega and I had no problem with not going any further. Besides, we were pretty tired after 4 hours ascend. After taking a few pictures and a brief rest we headed down. Here is what we saw on our way back:
On this photo you can distinguish the trail we made:
The way back to the parking lot took us one and a half hours. Having a broken trail and going downhill makes a big difference, that's for sure. All in all, it was a really good day, even though we didn't get to Chasm Lake. It should make an awesome early spring snow hike/climb. We'll see.
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