Over the divide (p.II)

This is a map of RMNP. Grand lake Village surrounds the smallest of the three lakes at the bottom left corner and Estes park is the giant yellow blob opposite of GL...there is 48miles on the road that connects the towns (hwy 34 a.k.a. Trail ridge road). The red lines that ive highlighted are the two hikes that I have completed in the past three days. The black ones show the other hikes that Ive done in the park while at shadowcliff.

The red line that goes from Grand lake to he intersection of the three is known as the North Inlet Trail

The red line that goes from the intersection towards the east is the Flattop trail (and Bear lake trail.

The red line that goes from the intersection west is the Tonahutu trail (and Green Mountain trail).

The red line that is north and separate from the others is the time I spent walking from the ranger, through the fire and until Laura saved me.

Black dot= Peak of Flattop, Blue dot= Bear Lake, Purple dot= campsite.

A thin wool cap was the only thing that kept my ears from freezing off of my face when I stuck my head out the window so that I could make it to the trail head alive. I was driving, but the heavy frost made it impossible to see through the front window of the truck; It was only 5:30am and it seemed to be the darkest, coolest part of the night.
I saw no wildlife on the way into the park- the rangers station was closed. I would cut across the green mountain trail to the tonahutu; My plan was to walk over the continental divide, as I had yesterday, on the Tonahutu trail. I cut almost two miles off of my trip by driving to the green mountain trail. It would still surpass 17miles before I reached my destination (Bear lake).
I slipped my cap on, and my gloves- though my hands seem to have grown a great amount since I bought them last year. The most excitement on the STEEP green mountain trail were the old skeletons of a few cabins/buildings on the edge of BIG MEADOWS, two miles in.
I saw no creatures on the meadows, surprisingly, though there was a great amount of frost on just about everything. I tried taking some photos; none came out too interesting.

It was forest most of the way- big trees, rushing creeks and a few beautiful birds... Granite falls, almost eight miles from my truck, was very beautiful. I glanced at my phone-clock the second I reached the falls to find that I was makin' very good time; I'd been walking for just a little over two hours !
I passed a handful of campgrounds and the "Haynach lake, llamas permitted" sign.

Though the tonahutu route to bear lake is two miles further than the North inlet one, which I had completed just Yesterday, it seems to be a Much more gradual climb to the peak of Flattop mountain. I would make the climb that cost me a night on the north inlet in only part of a day; I was scheduled to work at five!

AS I crept up on the treeline, I was stopped by some kind of lengthy sign mounted onto a bug boulder. The sign told me that I should prep. for alpine weather conditions and that I should absolutely NOT PROCEED if there was any signs of coming clouds. I checked the blue sky- nothing. (not that it would've stopped me!) There was a cool little map on the sign- I took a photo.
I passed through a good meadow just before I broke through the treeline and found all of the wonders of the alpine desert. A cool Gentian greeted me at the WET beginning of the Tundra.

I bet that I walked a good two miles above he dark trees before I recognized the silhouettes of Ptarmigan peak and Flattop, a mile up. The trail was wet and was still covered with a few long patches of melting snow. The still, warm air brushed by my face; it was good to feel the warm sun after such a long morning. I passed the three-way junction just before I stopped for a break at the very top of Flattop mountain. I had a granola bar, and about a third of my water bottle; the super-dry air up there just sucks the moisture right out of me!
There was a nice column of dark smoke coming off of the valley FAR below me... I
I made a sin and took my cellphone out of the emergency pocket of my bag; I had every intention of suckin' up and participating in the first conversation of the trip with my parents. I had no signal, but I knew that I wanted to call them from the very top of my biggest adventure! I kept my eye on the row of no bars at the top of the phone... I barely know how to use the damn thing!

The bars zipped up to six when I glanced- only a quarter-mile towards Estes from where I had none. I made the calls, but neither of my poor parents answered their phones. The clock read 12:37.I shut the thing off and proceeded. The far side of flattop mountain (bear lake side) was still very Icy- the first one-fourth of the trip down was on snow.
At one point, I became too confident and I walked on top of the snow without thought; I was strollin' at a more normal pace when I broke. I felt myself fall, though /i was barely aware of my near surroundings and did not know whee I was falling to or from. My foot hit the bottom- just as my knee became level with the hard surface of the ice, and momentum shoved the top of me forward. I felt the muscles on the back of my thigh tighten and stretch before I felt my knee bend back or the ice-water in my boot.
I was not hurt; I WAS lucky.
When I un-buried my right leg I peeked into the hole that I created. The sides of the vertical tunnel were illuminated in a robin's egg-blue that turned to almost black as it hit the rock below. COOL.

An older couple stopped my decent at the Dream-lake lookout. SHE spoke with a thick southern accent, He handed me one of those little, yellow disposable film cameras. They seemed very friendly, but I only concentrated on remembering how to work the complicated film-camera thing. NO PROBLEM!
"Where ya from?" I asked. - "LEISIANA!" the southern gal shouted. I snapped the shot and continued our conversation. He mentioned the great weather and went about expressing his excitement for the summit. I warned him of the coming clouds and told him that I would expect some not-so-nice conditions atop... I ran into another man- just a few minutes after the couple, who told me of a PACK of "female pheasants" just below the next hairpin.
I saw the ptarmigans- eight of them- and stood still in hope of a good pic. The awkward birdies were obviously feeling cooperative- they completely ignored me and my one big, bulging glass eye!
It was a matter of minutes before the rain began and I reached the water. There was a very cool reflection on bear lake that showed the white peak over me all yellow at the base. The mountains were bright, but the sunlight that illuminated the snow on them could not fight off the dark clouds in the background. Photos. I asked the ranger station is they had any staff headed east anytime soon. 'A donno' was the reply I got..
I asked if hitchhiking was legal, though I was sure the answer was yes. "Yep" was the reply I got.
I thanked the careful interpreter and jogged to the end of the parking lot.
THUMBS UP. It was seven cars and three miles before a green Subaru Forester proudly displaying their Obama08' stickers pulled in front of me. It was a retired Biology professor and her hubby; They'd lived in estes park since they moved from Michigan three years ago.. Very nice folks!
We carried on about all of the wonders of the park before they dropped me off with a friendly "good luck" at The Hwy 36 turnoff. I walked for about a mile before I stuck my thumb up for a passing jeep. Nope.
The ranger coming my way, however, obviously wanted to give me a hand! I was surprised when he pulled over so quick- as quickly as the last park vehicle to give me a ride!
AFTER he ran my name, and quizzed me on my identity and where my ID was (in the window of my truck so that I dont get a ticket)... he warned me of a hundred-dollar ticket. In the midst of his aggressive interrogation, I called shadowcliff with a ride request. I should have a ride within two hours!

I promised the ranger that I had a ride coming, and that I would sit at the intersection a mile back (per his request) to wait for them. "Good" the cop told me, "'Cause ye wouldnt wanna be walkin ahead anyways; theys a dangerous fire goin' on.../"
I sat at the intersection for enough time to watch him pass me three more times and to drink the last of my water.
'TWAS BOREDOM that drove me off of my roadjack and up the hill again. .and the temptation of experiencing a REAL wildfire! I stuck in the woods along side of the road until I got into the thick of the smoke and flames... The dangerous fire that the kind Ranger warned me of was only a prescribed burn... I walked through the nauseating smoke with an extra sock tied over my mouth. I ran into a nice group of volunteers who all wanted to see the photos that my big camera had takin' of their work. After a long session of show and tell, I continued through the fire. 250,000 acres of sage and dead pines were burning, though very slowly. It was way cool to watch the same fire I'd come to learn about at home in this new flammable habitat. I walked through another coupla miles of the nasty sage-smoke. It was almost as thick as my brother's room!

I stuck my thumb up a few more times, but Laura found me soon after I started up trail ridge rd. I felt burnt- more so than when I simply participate in such a fire. My innards felt dry, my outards were sore... 'wouldve fallen asleep on Laura if it were not for the exciting critters and the AWESOME hail storm we passed through on the way back to SC.
*** I was very dehydrated; spent the night at SC very sick! COOL!