Our adventure began at the Twin Owls trailhead. After parking the Jeep, the trail to Gem Lake led us up through a thin forested area filled with wildflowers. Quickly the nice flat walk gave way to steeper mountain hiking through a sparse forest of Ponderosa pine and slopes covered with sage, chokeberries and other shrubs, and grasses. After almost a mile, we passed the Devil's Gulch fork. The trail continued to be steep, but we didn't mind because the views were spectacular. We could see more and more of Estes Park and Longs Peak looms in the background. After about a mile and a half, we met a couple who said that we were getting close to the steep part of the hike... the steep part?? We thought it was steep enough already, but we soon came to an area that was more like rock stairs than a trail. |
The rocky mountain trail involved tight switchbacks, but with stops now and then for mountain views we knew it would be worth the effort. As we approached the lake, the rock formations became increasingly interesting. We stopped and photographed a giant rock known as Paul Bunyan's shoe (Photo to right, apparently Paul's shoe had ventilation). |
|
Once we negotiated those final steep yards and arrived at the lake, we headed to a rocky outcropping to catch our breath, rest our muscles, sketch and photograph. Gem Lake is unusual because its a giant bowl. Its water comes from runoff from snow and rain. There's no outlet, so water remains in the lake until it evaporates. Although we didn't see fish, the area is full of life both in and by the water. Water striders, flies, and dragonflies cruised across the the water. Birds were everywhere. Ground squirrels scamper about. |
After spending time enjoying the lake, Annette decided to climb high up the boulders to get a better view. She took some great photos of Gem Lake back toward Estes Park.
She was gone for a long time, so Larry set out to see how far she had gotten. Once Annette got almost to the top of the ridge, she realized that the rocks were getting pretty slick and it was difficult to get back down. At first Larry was concerned, but when Annette began to whine Larry wasn't very sympathetic. As a matter of fact, he thought it was pretty funny that she got herself in this predicament. After a slow process of sliding down the mountain on her rear, she made it back to the main trail.
|
The view back toward Gem Lake and Estes Park was great.
|
The way down the mountain wasn't as easy as we anticipated. The steep, rocky steps were the toughest, but once we got back to the dirt trail it was a "piece of cake." |
We stopped along the way down to enjoy the views. |
 |
As we were photographing some wildflowers we could hear some shouting up on the mountain. |
When we looked up, we could see someone climbing on Twin Owls. He was "bouldering"; climbing using handholds and footholds in the rock crevices. But we were pleased to see an attached safety line. |
Go to Lamb & Johnson Menu
|
Gem Lake - 
