Timber Lake, 11039 ft

Timber lake is shown on my topo map as being at the end of a somewhat steep climb a bit over 4.4 miles from the trailhead, deep into Rocky Mountain National Park. It is a hike that Jan has wanted to do for a long while now, and though I was not feeling my best, I decided to join him. We split after work, sometime around 12:30; I threw my water bottle and knife, a jacket and my camera into a small backpack and ran to met Jan at the truck. We drove into the park and became stuck in traffic generated by the road construction. I turned the car off and Jan mentioned something about the hiking staff I'd ditched to the curb when we caught a ride to the visitors center just two days before. Minutes passed before I was allowed to proceed over the fresh, stinking asphalt. I drove slowly- somewhere around the speed limit - and searched for my valued stick on the side of the road. I spotted it a did a quick U-ie. the car rolled to a stop and I jumped out to retrieve my prize from a brush off the road.

It was a little over three miles from where I'd left my stick to the Bowen Gulch trailhead from which we walked the other day. That means we'd made that hike an almost 18-mile one!

We pulled into the timberlake parking lot- several vehicles were already there and Jan bobbed his head to the Didgeridoo playing from my truck. I noticed a sign at the trailhead that said something about timber lake, 5.3 miles. The rustic arrow next to those words pointed to our trail.

The first mile was an easy one- we found several different parties descending the trail. The next few were steep; Jan and I took short turns leading at our own pace and we passed a couple and a single guy coming down. We were headed up- seemingly forever.

My face began to feel increasingly swollen from the small head-cold I suffered from. We broke into a clear meadow; the sky was blue, the sun was warm and there were only a handful of light clouds over the bald mountain at the far end of it. The trail flattened and my heart rate neared a normal one again. I kept a careful eye out for any wandering mammals, but we re-entered the shady, dry pine forest before I saw any. We started uphill again and found a sign.

<-- TIMBER LAKE 1.7 MILES

The terrain to the left of the sign was wicked... the switchbacks traversing it were at least scary. By the time we got off that horrible, edgey section of the trail, and onto another flat part, I was feeling pretty exhausted. Between the energy I'd spend climbing the first few miles, and that which I had lost to my illness, I was ready to turn back.

There was HOPE. The trail infront of us did not look too steep, and I knew we couldnt be too far from the lake. I sat down. Jan told me I looked like shit. HE asked what was wrong with my teeth; 'told me they were too dark, and they looked bloody. I took a photo of my mouth and hit the reviw button on my camera. My mouth WAS bloody- the red ran across my teeth from my chapped lips and dried gums. I was not able to breathe through my stuffed nose, and all that cold, dry air running across my opened lips had split them wide.

I opened the water bottle to a small explosion. We'd climbed over 2000ft in a little over four miles and the silly thing was pressurized! I drank all my water, and it was only a short mile before we reached the lake. Jan and I sat- we took a break; admired the mountains as the thicker clouds moved over. It was three-ish and a group of women circled the lake with their giant bags. I cant imagine carrying something like THAT up the hill we'd just ascended..!

They asked for a pic. and Jan got them to smile on their camera. They were going to camp just a short ways back, near the lake.

JAn returned and I stood. I was very dizzy for a second- the sensation gave me a scare. I hadnt eaten yet and I knew my bloodsugar was geting low. Jan mentioned something about how cool it would be to get ontop of one of the surrounding peaks. We stood at the treeline.

I responded with a similar comment about the small snow fields on the opposite side of the lake. Jan needed to be back by seven, but he was willing to take a short side trip and threw his pack under a tree. "Com'n" he shouted as he jogged toward the snow.

THE white looked to be on a steep mountain about a half mile away. I was concerned for my energy- was not sure I would be able to make it back down easily even if I did not go.

Smokey Quartz on mica- found this and other similar foramtions on the giant rocks and boulders above timber lake!

OF COURSE I WENT> I through my pack under the tree with my staff and shuffled over a creek and the thin grass around the lake to catch up with Jan. I was only a few meters behind him when we reached the snow field. I sat next to the ice and fooled with some cool rocks while Jan kept going. The wind was loud and it got cold fast. We were there only a minute or so before I lost sight of him. I waited anxiously at the snow field. Ten minutes passed and I began to worry for Jan. I got up after fifteen and peeked around the corner where he disappeared. I did not see him. I worried more and more and after twenty minutes in the ice-wind I began to follow his footsteps on all-fours. The terrain was very loose and the hill, at times, climbed at a near- 70 degree angle. Sometimes my feet were of no use at all; each step created only another sliding hazard, and I dangled by my tired hands. I shouted his name several times, but feared it pointless in the howling winds. It seemed to take forever- I worried myself harshly so that I thought of nothing else; the emotion simply drained me of even more energy.

My hands grew numb and the skin of my knuckles cracked and split in the dry wind. JAN! I shouted, desperately, one last time when I reached the summit. It was flat- a thin, very short carpet of grass and flowers was like a soft sponge under my feet... I was colder than ever- the wind seemed to grow only harder and I wore a t-shirt and jeans. He was no-where. It took me a long, chaotic second of pacing and shivering to decide to descend again and go find the women to call in help.

Jan had been gone for what had seemed like hours, and considering the nasty condition that I'd found myself in, I became only increasingly worried. I jumped over the ledge which I'd come up on and slide for several feet to a violent stop. The wind did not ease as I'd hoped, but there was a certain mental obstacle which I had overcome by starting my way down. I felt a bit of relief.
The sharp rocks tore at my jeans and at my bare hands and arms. I sat for a quick break- pinched in between a massive boulder and the loose wall of the mountain and escaped from the wind. IT took more effort than I expected to stand up again. My knees screamed and I found myself- for just a short moment- lost in another bout of dizziness. I needed to eat something. I worried and worried- about myself, but mostly about lost Jan. The cold was really starting to get to me, but I had no doubt that I would be sleeping in my own bed tonight. My faith comforted me.
JAN! the sight of the tiny orange speck moving quickly, far below me, had my heart skip a beat. The excitement energized me and I shouted his name several more times. It was tiresome even to do that anymore.
...The wind through my words back into my face like a nice, cold wad of phlegm. I skipped and stumbled from rock to boulder- virtually rolling down the steep slope.

A rock slipped. It was the rock onto which I made a daring leap over the ice. I went down with it, and the rock and I slide several meters onto an awkward pile of others. One large one began to fall. By instinct I fled violently to my right and the dark boulder crashed into the rock with which I had slid. My heart sped and my lungs burned in dry ice as I ran down the hill.
I was only 3/4 down when Jan hit our bags and began to head back my way. I felt the heavy worry come over me again as the possibility of separation slipped into view. I feared he would become lost again looking for me, as I had done. A million scary scenarios rushed through my mind as I continued to the base of the horrible rock.
I heard him yelling,... though I could not understand what he shouted. My jagged path had put me in a low spot on the other side of the trees from Jan. The wind had weakened, as had I., but I could hear him!
I shouted back.

When I climbed to the top of the small hill and stand of trees that separated us, I yelled again. My battered hands sailed through the air as I waved for him. He did not see me, but that was okay. I found Jan, Alive, and I knew where he was. I jogged up to him and we had a happy reunion. He had gone up over the mountain, climbed another peak, and came down on the other side of the lake's sharp valley.
'I thought we were going to climb the mountain!?" he told me. "You were following me and then you were not! I was not worried until I found you were still gone when I got back to the lake."
We went on and I began to feel the consequences of the climb. Jan needed to be back by seven. I asked him what time it was. 5:00, when we picked up our bags. I was exhausted, but the hike was to be mostly downhill, and I knew that I was no longer alone; I asked him if he was up for such a feat.
I set a nasty pace down the trail. We swung around bends and jumped over switchbacks. Miles went by and I recognized landmarks and kept track of our jog. My pack grew heavier, my body screamed for food or water- I was too tired to tell the difference.
Four miles passed and each heavy step felt like a carwrck. I was going down, and I knew it. Even Jan looked bad, and he is not one to become exhausted by such a short outing. My nose ran wildly and I wiped the blood from the corners of my mouth.

Id been worse, I told myself, and My fatigue was not enough to stop me from pursuing a waddling porcupine down the trail.
The porker was the first I'd ever seen, and it was SOO WEIRD! I want to say that it was some kind of Armadilla/bear hybrid, but really, it resembled a giant, fuzzy guinea pig very closely. My camera was on him and I asked Jan if he wanted to take any pics before I stumbled at him. Jan smiled at me, "Go for it"- he nodded his tired face in the direction of the alien.
I summoned the last of my legs and went for it. He ran to the base of a pine before I caught up to 'em. I neared slowly- watching and experiencing through the viewfinder of my camera.
The porcupine puffed up- as a PufferFish would !
The quills on his backside were all short and used, but his neck and scruff were fully loaded. He looked at me and bolted in the other direction. I stayed, but my camera followed. The 55mm lens was not sufficient to get a good portrait, but I made at least one good action shot of the chase. I followed closely- probably too close, but he was gone in seconds anyway. JAN "ooed", "aweD" and "look out"-ed behind me, but I was again lost in my camera.

COOL.
The two of us dragged out feet to the car- looking very suspicious, I'm sure. The time was 6:37!

I sped back to the town- six or seven miles. I was SOOO tired; Jan got his appointment to the hot springs with the group- I ate and passed out.
The hike was a good one, in that it showed me just how hazardous the mountains could be. Until Timber lake, I feared only lightening and Lions in the Rockies. Jan and I will be going out again soon- together.