I set the alarm for 4:00 am, with the plan to be up in the park for sunrise. After four snooze sessions I shut it off and when I awoke it was 6:30. So much for the idea of being there at sunrise.
It was 9:00 by the time I made it to the park. I had planned to hike up the Loch Vale Gorge to Andrews Glacier. But to make this hike you need to park at the Glacier Gorge trailhead. Well at 9:00 on Labor Day weekend the lot was full with nowhere to park. So a change of plans. Up to the Bear Lake parking lot and make the hike up to Emerald Lake at the base of Hallett Peak. As you may recall T², Lorrie and I recently made this hike. Although my new plan was to go beyond Emerald Lake and get up into the upper part of Tyndall Gorge where the Tyndall Glacier lies. This is no easy task, as the upper reaches beyond the lake are guarded by a cliff band that essentially spans from the base of Hallett Peak across the valley to Flattop Mountain. I had been up there once before, many years ago with my friend Jeff. And I remembered it being quite an ordeal. Scrambling up in places on all four. As I would find out my memory was correct. The only way I know of to get beyond the cliff band, is to hike to the base of these cliffs and find a hidden gully which provides access to the south and the steep boulder / talus slopes along the base of the north face of Hallett Peak.
I scratched my way along the base of Hallet following faint climbers trails. Hallett Peak at 12,713′ with its’ sheer north face is a classic “Big Wall” alpine climb. I was surprised when I came along a small group of Columbine and Arnica growing up out of the debris. A bit farther up and I began to hear voices occasionally calling out. It was soon apparent that there was a group of climbers on the face. With the north face acting as an amphitheater, I could hear their calls…”Belay…belay on…climb…climb on”. Farther up I found their packs and hiking shoes stashed among the rocks at the base of what I assumed to be the start of their route. Looking up made my head spin and could not for the life of me pick out a feasible route. But then again I have never been much of a rock climber.
The goat trail I had been following was quickly disappearing and becoming steeper. The sheer north face on my left and HUGE boulders on the right. Adrenaline was really beginning to pump as I looked back down at the dizzying view below. I knew I was well above the cliff band and that I needed to get towards the center of the gorge to avoid the house sized boulders. So I picked a spot that looked good and headed into the boulders. It did not take long before I decided to turn back, as one fall down into the caverns of these things and this could be my final resting place! Disappointing to have missed the right spot to get into the center of the gorge. I didn’t even get a glimpse of the glacier. Oh well, spectacular views all the same. So I turned back and began the big slide down the talus slopes.
Just above Emerald Lake, I found a little cascade with some Arrowleaf at the base to get some nice shots. Back at the lake I felt exhausted from the after effects of the adrenaline rushes, so I took a break, ate a Cliff Bar and filtered some water for the hike out.
