Lake of the Hanging Glacier
We started for the trailhead at 7:45 a.m. for this one and didn't arrive until 10:15. For most of the distance, we drove along Horsethief forestry road, a good gravel road that passes by cattle ranches with cows grazing in the field and the sun just emerging from behind peaks brushing the fields with a golden glow. Bushes and poplar trees matched that glow making for a glorious morning drive.
Stats: 14.5 km., Elevation gain - 943 m
Trail: This out and back trail followed Horsethief Creek until Hell Roaring Creek, which it follows up to the Lake of the Hanging Glacier. Except for a couple of detours to cross the creeks, the trail winds steadily upward until it flattens at a larch covered meadow leading to our destination. Despite the altitude, the sun warmed our bodies, and the orange glow of the larches warmed our spirits. Then, the trail emerges over a small rise and a silt grey-blue lake framed by glacier clad mountains appears a mere hundred metres in the distance. During a moment when the cloud shaded the shoreline but shone on the lake, the lake perfectly reflected those majestic peaks in its water. At the far end of the lake, iceberg shaped slabs of ice began their slow drift to our end of the lake and their eventual demise. Tiny shards of transparent ice like magnified snowflakes floated by the shore.
People: A young lady of El Salvadorian descent asked if we wanted her to take our picture in front of the lake. Nicola replied in the affirmative and then the girl took many, many pics. She gave an unenthusiastic response to the pics I took to return the favour which meant either I hadn't achieved the desired effect, or she normally displayed little affect when pleased. The former was probably the case.
She hiked with a couple of Slavic descent who spoke in English with her and Ukrainian or Russian or Slovakian when alone. They arrived at the trail head just before us. We met them at a viewpoint overlooking waterfalls on Hell Roaring Creek, again at the lake, and finally back at the trailhead upon our return. The guy commented to Nicola about starting and ending together being a good thing.
Just after we crossed Horsethief Creek, a couple passed us much closer to our age than the previously mentioned trio. A tall man in shorts told us that the last time he'd been on the trail, he'd had a confrontation with a grizzly bear and that we should put our dogs on a leash. We thanked him for the information and then the couple proceeded on the way. As we were in the process of retrieving the leashes from our backpacks, the guy yelled at us from 10 or 20 metres on the trail that we needed to leash our dogs immediately. We called them and did as we were told, not because we were told but because we believed him about the grizzly. He caused me stress and anger and uncertainty as to how I would behave toward him should we meet again. We didn't. I wonder if he embarrassed himself. I mean, really. Chill man.
As we walked through the meadows, four young people passed us carrying backpacks. The last was a guy in his thirties with two dogs that looked like short haired huskies with blue eyes and long legs. Both ignored our dogs. One stopped for a pat. Neither were on leashes. The guy told us they were eight and eleven and both wore collars equipped with electric shocks. He said that when he called them, they needed to come. Both accompanied him in a helicopter into the backcountry. One, he'd trained with the collar since the dog was eight months. Fuck it, we thought. We hadn't seen any signs of bear on the trail. This guy obviously knew what he was doing. We'll do the same.
The young people comprised two couples who'd set up their tents at the edge of the lake prepared for a chilly night, a sunset and sunrise, with the lake all to themselves. We were a bit jealous.
Flora: Lots of lovely larch
Fauna: A couple of pica.
After trail drink: A Brooklyn.
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