Independence Lake Hike

Earlier in the week we spotted what looked like some great backpack-in trails. It became quite a possibility that we were going to hang around through the weekend so we could do just that. However, during our planning we found that all trails – that we wanted to hike – led us above 12,000 feet. Not only is that extra hard, we really do not have the gear for the unpredictable weather of being above the tree-line. So, we chose instead to go for a day-hike up the Lost Man Loop Trail to Independence Lake.

First, we had to go over Independence Pass and drop down the other side a bit before we could even begin our hike, which still started near the 12,000 ft elevation range and climbed 900 more feet. This meant that every single step was a struggle in the 30% less-oxygen-than-sea-level air. We stopped constantly, taking the hike slowly to ensure we did not become sick from the altitude. The trail out to the lake was only 1.8 miles, but it felt like 50. Luckily, the scenery was beautiful – keeping us both occupied during all the breaks. Kerri’s California lungs take a big hit up at the top of the Rocky Mountains. I was concerned she would not make the hike up. One thing was on our side; the weather. The mountain air – only in the 50’s even in August – kept us cool enough to not have to fight that too.

We spent one-third of the time on our uphill climb sitting still, regaining our breath. What could have been a 40 minute hike out took us over an hour. We both struggled, not just California-girl, eventually passing over a crest with Lake Independence starting to expose itself to us and all the right ways. Here we found ourselves a semi-private spot, sat down for a meal of trail mix, and let the dogs wade in the water for a while before starting or trek back down the same 1.8 miles to the waiting truck.

We both agreed that it was a good feeling to exert ourselves for a change. We been pretty lazy lately, not doing much in the outdoors variety. This was a nice change, and with enough water in the tanks back at the trailer, a hot shower was in our immediate future as well.