Remember the Adams Falls Hike and East Inlet Hike that our family went on last December where we went off the trail and walked along the river? And then Kristen broke through ice into the river. And then Misha followed suit?
As we hiked, Chris and I marveled at the beauty of the area in the winter and commented that it probably looked fantastic in the summer.
We drove up Fall River Road on Saturday morning over the top of Trail Ridge Road and down the other side of the mountain to Grand Lake.
The scenery was awesome, but we got stuck behind some tour jeeps and it was slow going until the jeeps pulled over so we could pass.
There were a lot of cars pulled to the side of the road as they stopped at trailheads to go hiking. The road was much busier than when Chris, Kristen, and I drove it last Fall.
As we drove down the Grand Lake side of Trail Ridge Road, Chris and I were sad to see so much of the burn scars from the fires from last summer. We were hopeful though for the regrowth as the forest floor was covered in green grasses.
We finally arrived at the East Inlet Trailhead. There were a lot of people there who came without a reservation. Two forest rangers were stationed at the entrance and were checking all reservations as people tried to enter the park and turning away all who did not have a reservation.
We stopped first at Adam's Falls to see the waterfall in the summer time. Still beautiful.
As you venture further past the waterfall, the East Inlet hike opens up to a beautiful meadow of tall grasses that wave in the wind. A small river meanders through the meadow. The scenery was stunning. If you look to the far end of the meadow and beyond, that's where we hiked. All 11.6 miles.
Plenty of people were fishing along the river as well as we hiked past.
The color would have been even more fantastic if there hadn't been so much smoke in the sky. Knock on wood, there are very few fires in Colorado this summer, but we are getting the smoke and bad air quality from the Oregon and California fires.
As we hiked along the by the river, we were surprised by a loud squeal and then came into a view of a skinny dipper climbing out of the river. She didn't seem to mind that we were there. Well then.
After passing through the meadow, the trail began to climb.
Not seeing a great spot in the shade to stop for lunch, we stopped half way up a grouping of granite steps and rested while eating. We had hiked far enough beyond the crowded areas that we only encountered a few people along our way.
I think Chris and I both wanted to stop around 4.5 miles in, but it was only 1.4 more miles to Lone Pine Lake and I wanted to reach our destination. We pushed on with sore feet and tired bodies.
We passed a few people just before reaching the lake and a group of four young men left the lake just as Chris and I sank onto some large boulders. Even they felt good.
Refueling and eating snacks to get more energy was our first goal. Then we took some pictures and started our return trip back.
Downhill is always much easier, but we have discovered that hiking poles are a great help as well as they add another anchor point as we step down tall steps and over rocks.
We carry one set of poles and Chris and I each use one.
After a couple of miles we caught up to the young men whom we saw briefly at the lake; they weren't too thrilled when we asked if we could pass them. In fact, one of them was on my heels for about a half a mile until he finally gave up trying to keep up. I was moving fast just to stay ahead of him and keeping pace with Chris. I don't think they liked being passed by a girl.
It was with much relief to finally pull off my hiking boots and sink into the front seat of the car.
Seeing the meadow in the Fall is the next goal. I don't think I will be hiking quite so far there again though.