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Powell Cirque + Shelf & Solitude Lakes Overnight (~12 miles, ~3000 ft gain/loss, 1 night)

Powell Cirque + Shelf & Solitude Lakes Overnight

Routes:

~12 miles, ~3000 ft gain/loss, 1 night

A glorious October overnight + day exploring in the mountains.

Region: Colorado
Elev: Glacier Gorge Trailhead Elev: 9,240 ft; Mills Lake Elev: 9,940 ft; Jewel Lake Elev: 9,940 ft; Glacier Gorge Backcountry Site Elev: ~10,000 ft; Shelf Lake Elev: 11,220 ft; Solitude Lake Elev: 11,420 ft; Powell Cirque High Point Elev: 12,300 ft
Type: 
Date(s): October 20&21, 2023 (Fri&Sat)
Partner(s): Nate Arganbright

Related trip reports:

Map

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Intro

It had turned into a glorious fall in the Rocky Mountains. The entire week in Estes Park, daytime temperatures had been in the high-60's and there had not been a cloud in the sky. So Nate and I decided to spend the weekend enjoying the weather and spend at least one night in the mountains. We tossed around various ideas, including Ouzel Lake/Mt. Copeland, Shelf&Solitude Lakes/Arrowhead, Boulderfield/Longs. But when Nate checked the backcountry site availability and saw that the Glacier Gorge backcountry site was available (it almost never is), he decided to snatch it up. So we made plans to hike up to Glaicer Gorge backccountry site after work on Friday, enjoy an evening in the mountains, explore Shelf & Solitude Lakes and Powell Cirque on Saturday, hike out, and climb at Lumpy Ridge on Sunday.

The following page gives photos from our mountain overnight and day spent exploring Powell Cirque. It was a glorious day.

Photos

Friday: Enjoy evening at Glacier Gorge Backcountry Site

~3 miles
Wow, what a nice weather forecast for late October.
77° in Estes Park on October 20. Even higher than predicted. This broke a 70+-year-old record high.
Starting the ~3 mile hike from Glacier Gorge Trailhead on Friday at 3:15pm.
Trail junction. Glacier Gorge Backcountry site (our destination for the night) is about a mile past Mills Lake.
Mills Lake. The peaks of Upper Glacier Gorge bask in the late afternoon sun in the distance.
Turnoff for Glacier Gorge Backcountry site.
Setting up camp.
Nate reading the paper in the evening at camp.
Me reading a book. Photo by Nate.
Evening alpenglow on Longs Peak, as seen through the trees from our camp.

Saturday: Explore Shelf & Solitude Lakes & Powell Cirque, Hike Out

~9 miles
We headed up this hillside to get up to the lake basin of Shelf and Solitude Lakes. There is a steep boot path to the lakes.
Arrowhead.
We had decided to have our morning coffee and breakfast at Shelf Lake in the sun. It was worth the hour long hike before breakfast to bask in the sun and enjoy the views along with our coffee and breakfast.
My shadow in Shelf Lake.
Nate had a freeze-dried hash for breakfast. I had six meat sticks. Photo by Nate.
Ice forming between Solitude and Shelf Lakes. In the winter this is a pretty thick mound of blue ice. (For photos, see my winter trip report to Shelf and Solitude Lakes.)
The flowing water created an ellegant symmetrical path through the ice.
Ice forming between Solitude and Shelf Lakes. Arrowhead above.
A nice splitter in a granite slab.
Unbeknownst to me, Nate also took a photo of the splitter. I guess we both apprecaite a good splitter. Photo by Nate.
Solitude Lake, with the looming North Face of Arrowhead towering above and the sunny East Face of Powell in the distnace.
Hourglass Couloir on the North Face of Arrowhead. This is an M4 ice climb when the conditions are right.
With the orange grass and dusting of snow on the north sides, the area had an aura of fall.
Headed up the valley to check out the Powell Cirque below the East Face of Powell.
Further up into Powell Cirque.
A snaking pegmatite vein through the granite. Photo by Nate.
A deep gully leading up to the ridge connecting Arrowhead and McHenrys. Rossiter calls this gully 4th class. It is a access point for the Northeast Ridge of McHenrys or Arrowhead Ridge on Arrowhead.
Nearing the head of the Powell Cirque. The East Face of Powell towers above.
View back out towards Solitude Lake.
McHenrys Notch Couloir. This is AI3 M4- alpine route that ascends a classic couloir and the northwest ridge of McHenrys Peak.
East Face of Powell Peak. There are no established routes on the main face.
View up towards Corporate Ladder (5.11, 3p) on the right side of the East Face of Powell Peak. This is one of the few established routes up here.
Our high point, directly below the East Face of Powell Peak.
View out towards Solitude Lake and Arrowhead. Longs Peak is in the distance.
Ice is beginning to form on the surface of Solitude Lake. There are sections of this lake that do not get any sun this time of year, shaded by the towering walls of Arrowhead's North Face.
A boulder perched on three smaller rocks above Solitude Lake.
I proposed it was a result of topsoil or ice erosion. Nate concluded it was bigfoot who placed it like that. Photo by Nate.
A possible future bivy spot. Nate and I have a goal to bivy in all of the bivy locatons in the park, and the Solitude Lake zone is one of them.
Another photo of ice beginning to form on Solitude Lake. East Face of Powell in the distance.
Another photo of Solitude Lake, with the East Face of Powell in the distance.
The aspens in the grove along the trail near the Glacier Gorge Parking lot have now shed their brilliant yellow leaves.
Back at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead.
Newt was glad to have me back home.

Previous and Next Adventures

Batman Rock (Bat Crack and others), Lumpy Ridge, CO
Twin Owls (Tilted Mitten & other cragging), Lumpy Ridge, CO

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Useful beta. Updated route information. Corrections. Historical notes. Interesting facts. No fluff please.
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