Run up to Flattop was a bit windy and cold, but things calmed down measurably once we were off Hallett and on our way to Taylor, basking in the sun. Had a blast glissading down Andrews Glacier once we'd bagged Flattop (12,324'), Hallet (12,713'), Otis (12,486') and Taylor (13,153').
Was high on life and all things good, until we dropped off Andrews Glacier to rejoin the trails in and around Glacier Gorge TH and Bear Lake TH; an incomprehensible zoo of humankind. As we were leaving the park at noon, the backup of cars waiting to enter on Hwy 36 was off the charts. Wow!
Otis, Hallett, Flattop with Mummies off to the right. From Taylor. 
Hallett from Flattop trail.
Chaos Canyon with Lake Haiyaha at bottom.
A well camouflaged ptarmigan.
Sharks Tooth, center left. A 5.4 climb supposedly. Taylor to right.
Sharks Tooth.
Taylor and other Divide peaks from Otis.
Top Andrews Glacier. 
Bottom Andrews Glacier, feeding its tarn.Glissade!
Mikey Mike posing by the tarn.
Sky Pond, Glass Lake from Taylor.
The Loch.
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Love the video! That looks like a really nice route...didn't we (with Ryan) make a failed attempt last year? I'm going to have to make sure to get back up there before it starts snowing again.
ReplyDeleteYup, same one we tried last summer. Something about Hallett - it was cold and windy up there again this morning, but at least the sun was available this time to keep things bearable.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that route along the CD will take you all the way around to Longs via a few other peaks. Definitely one for the bucket list.
Nice pictures all around. I had forgotten how cool the Shark's Tooth and surrounding rocks are.
ReplyDeleteGotta give credit for a glissade with a lake at the bottom. How about St. Mary's ;)
It's so different now that it's high season in the mountains. The Hessie TH was also a zoo today (I'm glad to have all the paint on my car). I knew better, but sometimes you just have to do it anyway. I've been wanting to run the Divide from there all summer, and can't take any more weekdays.
Great pix! I'd offer to join next time, but it would take 3x's longer!
ReplyDeleteMtnRunner - yeah pretty special up there in the high peaks above the RMNP craziness below. Obviously the astounding beauty is why people flock to RMNP, but sometimes you just want it all to yourself. This is why I prefer to visit peaks under 14k and outside of National Parks. But still, a day up high in the Park is typically a good one and I guess it's better to have people appreciating it, and hopefully advocating for it, rather than sitting at home and not giving a rats arse about what happens with our natural environment and resources. I dunno.
ReplyDeleteJeff - great to hear from you and also great to read that things are on the mend. Oh, and oftentimes it's better to move slowly and 'smell the flowers.' I run/hike at many different paces with many different people. Try me!
Looked like a great outing and I dig the pics and video. Way to get after it up there!
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