Every day, hikers show resiliency on trails in and around Estes Park. This recount of a recent trek up to Gem Lake is one of them.
The 3.4-mile round trip mini-expedition was meant to be quick and painless. I admire those who can pencil in a hike or a run everyday and are disciplined enough to do so.
For many, the start of a New Year acts as a catalyst for change. For me, that time starts at the beginning of fall--when school starts, the leaves turn and the temperature cools off.
The morning of my quest to find Gem Lake, tucked 1.7 miles up and away residing at 8,830 feet above sea level, was going to be my fresh start with running or hiking at least four times a week, every week.
At first I decided to run it, to really dig into that new beginning I was so desperately craving. It made perfect sense, as I only had an hour and twenty minutes before my first interview of the day.
It only took 0.1 mile to trip and fall on my face. Crying on instinct, I held onto my knees like a child. Not because I was seriously hurt, but because there were three fresh holes in my most recent and most expensive impulse yoga pants splurge of all time.
Actually, my knees and hands did hurt. At the time, the fall didn't hurt as much as my materialistic pride. But I got up and climbed on though I wasn't into the idea of running anymore. A swift hike I could manage.
Public Information Officer Kyle Patterson with Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) has recently said there are a number of essentials hikers should carry with them while on the trail. One of those items is some type of first aid kit, and on this hike, I forgot it.
Though I'm not sure how a band-aid will make bruised knees sting less.
The rest of the terrain up to Gem Lake varied. Dirt turned to rocks turned to stairs turned to gravel turned to boulders that are narrow to pass through. Clusters of aspen trees were losing their leaves.
About a half mile from the trailhead at the Black Canyon Trail Junction, the path to Gem Lake veers right. As the climb continued, views of Longs Peak and its neighboring mountains came into view.
The trail started steep, leveling off a bit midway. There I crossed paths with a runner on his way back from where I came. For the seconds I saw him, he looked graceful, unlike myself still tripping my way up the trail like a clown.
The climb grew rockier as the trail grew steeper over a series of switchbacks. Taking giant leaps from one step to the next, I made it to Gem Lake quicker than I had expected. Then again, I had hustled and missed views of the Continental Divide near the top.
With no connecting streams, the water in Gem Lake collects from rain and snowmelt. This is the only trail I've hiked this summer that has had an outhouse setup close to the destination with a sign pointing to it that read "Toilet."
The rock formations along this trail and at the lake are colorful and demonstrate a contrast in the trails that exist in the Estes Park area. On the way down, a number of hikers were starting their trek. Jenny Pearson, a visitor from out-of-state was one of them. She said found this gem on a trail review website.
"It's steep and challenging," said Pearson. "It really is a gem of a trail!"
I wished her well and continued on with my resilient new beginning.
