Continued from the previous page (this is the last one of the series) . . .

GREAT VIEWS DESCENDING FROM THE PASS

After I turned around below the pass I carefully maneuvered through the rocky tundra at the edge of the snow for about a quarter of a mile until I came to a sunny, snow-free knoll with great views in all directions.

The view south to the broad shoulder of Fuller Peak

 

Cody and I stopped for a few minutes on the knoll to get a snack and drink in the scenery:

 

 

I took this picture *before* Cody started digging for moles!

 

There's part of that "river" I could hear under the snow!  < smile >

After I got past the snow-covered area with the creek running under it I descended rather quickly despite all the photos I continued to take. The views are great in every direction!

 

 

It was fun going down the soft snow on the long, steep slope that had me a little concerned on the way up the mountain:

 

After I got to dirt trail again I was wishing I’d done some butt-sliding on the lower half of that slope.

Continuing the descent to the Ice Lake Trail:

 

Back in the Lower Ice lake Basin, almost down to the Ice Lake Trail again

I didn’t see anyone else on the trail between the Lower Ice Lake Basin and Grant-Swamp Pass today, although I could see other hikers down in the lower basin while I was above it.

I love the views of the Ice Lake basins and surrounding peaks from the HRH course. Runners coming through here in the dark on the second night of the race this year will be missing some spectacular snow scenery, although by then -- about 88 miles into their race -- they may be sick of snow. There are about thirteen passes between 12,000 and 14,000+ feet in this event!

DESCENDING THE ICE LAKE TRAIL TO THE TRAILHEAD

When I got back to the Ice Lake Trail I turned left (southeast) and followed it down to the trailhead, with four short out-and-backs to check out some other scenery.

 

The first diversion came in less than half a mile. I briefly walked down the narrow trail that will take runners to the Kamm Traverse (KT) aid station, wanting to see just how bad the Ice Lake Creek crossing is right now. It's one of the most dangerous stream crossings on the Hardrock course and it's likely to be worse this year.

However, the trail was so steep and muddy that I turned around after less than a minute and returned to the Ice Lake Trail. I'm not including a photo of it here.

This eroded switchback and the snow banks are farther down the Ice Lake Trail, not on the HRH course:

 

Below that I took two short trails to see a series of waterfalls in Ice Lake Creek:

 

The creek is till frozen over in places because it doesn't get a lot of sunlight. I could see those falls from Clear Lake Road on Saturday and vowed I’d get as close as I could today to take pictures.

All the falls I've showed you up in the Ice Lake and Island Lake basins run down this creek and into South Mineral Creek, then Mineral Creek, the Animas River, the San Juan River, the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and eventually out to sea . . .

Now that's an ultra-distance run!

MORE DIVERSIONS

So much for geography. Here's some history.

I took another short detour a little bit below the falls to see some mine ruins not far from the trail. I have no idea why I’ve never taken two minutes to do that in numerous previous times up and down this trail.

 

 

The final little detour I took was to see the waterfall on Clear Creek that spills onto the spur of the Ice Lake Trail that goes over to Clear Lake Rd. You can see the spur on the map I've shown several times in this series.

I came in from the road about a quarter of a mile on Sunday to see the falls from the other side but didn’t get as close as I did today:

 

I went about 100 feet over to the falls both outbound and on the return today so I could see if they were bigger in the afternoon. I couldn't tell if there was more water flowing when I came back down the trail. Both times were impressive.

I wasn't interested in crossing the falls today, mainly because I didn't have to. Hikers get wet with spray even when the falls are much smaller. In addition, the logs are about ready to wash out from the current deluge.

As I switch-backed down the trail to the place I’d have to ford Clear Creek below another falls I got a little concerned about how deep it would be on the return. Fortunately, I had no problem either outbound or inbound today. The water was still about mid-calf deep and running strong but my trekking poles kept me steady on the slick rocks:  

 

That's the trail on the left in the photo above. At last there is less water than when I saw it last week.

I didn’t see any more hikers until I got near the end of the trail.

THAT SURE WAS FUN!

With all my stops for various reasons, at least six little side trips, 446 pictures (!), and slogging through the snow, I was on the trail for 5:45 hours. The GPS registered 7 ½ miles.

I can’t believe it wasn’t farther than that! < grin >

Going slow has its advantages. Not only did Cody and I have a lot of fun, I wasn't tired when I got done and my knees aren't sore.

A meadow full of dandelion puffs between the creek and the trailhead

There is a lot of snow left above about 11,800 feet in this part of the San Juans, and lower than that in shaded areas. I wasn’t disappointed at all in not being able to reach either Grant-Swamp Pass or the upper Ice Lake basins. I was thrilled to see the awesome waterfalls and creeks and get to play in lots of soft snow.

It was fascinating to see this area in a different "season." I might even be a little bit disappointed next time I see it without as much snow!

Upper Ice Lake basins from the trail to Grant-Swamp Pass

I don't know if I'll come back up here before we leave the area. With another week of snowmelt I can probably reach the pass but I doubt I'll be able to reach Ice Lake or farther up in those basins. I've been up to Grant-Swamp Pass so many times that I'm not chomping at the bit to do it again this trip.

I'd go up to the upper Ice Lake basins every day of the week if it was feasible. It's one of the most interesting and beautiful places I've ever been -- and I've seen a lot of mountainous terrain in my life.

MISCELLANY

1. On the way out to the trailhead this morning I saw a bulldozer and other vehicles parked at the beginning of Clear Lake Road. I figured they’d be clearing the road today so vehicles can get closer to the lake.

I was right; I could hear them working as I climbed the Ice Lake Trail but couldn’t see what they were doing.

View of the road to Clear Lake from Grant-Swamp Pass

I'll probably hike up the road again before we go so I can get over to the lake. I imagine enough snow will be melted in a few days to at least see what's under my feet if I have to ford some water in that last section I missed the other day.

2. That wildfire near Los Alamos has grown to over 60,000 acres in two days.

• Pajarito Mtn. is burning; it's on the Jemez Mountain race course Jim ran a few weeks ago.

• Bandelier Natl. Monument is closed indefinitely. Thousands of acres have already burned and firefighters are trying to save the buildings in Frijoles Canyon (where the visitor center is located and where we hiked last month). 

• Residents in the city of Los Alamos and some small communities in the path of the fire have been evacuated.

• The Los Alamos National Laboratory is closed because the fire is very close to its southern and western boundaries.

Wow. Another disaster in a location we recently visited. The only good news is that Deb and Steve Pero's house is still safe. The fire began just a mile or two away from their place.

Next entry:  update on Jim's MRI results and what they might mean for us in the long and short term

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, and Cody the Ultra Lab

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© 2011 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil