Intro
I had moved to Boulder a few years before, but until this winter I had not done any winter excursions into the mountains near home. But this winter I had been on a streak. I had hiked or snowshoed up to the top of Twin Sisters, Mount Lady Washington, Flattop Mountain, Deer Mountain, Sky Pond, and Chasm Lake. I was enjoying exploring the mountains in their winter cloaks. Plus the exercise felt a little more substantial than my typical morning run. I couldn't get enough of it!
Up until now, I'd only hiked to Black Lake in the summer, en route to climbing in upper Glacier Gorge (The Spearhead, Chiefs Head, Arrowhead, McHenrys). But Black Lake also makes for a great winter destination. This alpine lake fills a deep cirque basin carved out to the base of McHenrys Peak and Chiefs Head Peak. Along the way you also pass right over the frozen surfaces of Mills Lake and Jewel Lake.
I started early so I could squeeze the adventure into the morning, as I needed to work on homework in the afternoon. Once the sun came out, it was quite pleasant despite the cold temperatures. There was not a cloud in the sky and it was a lot calmer than I had expected it would be. It took me 2 hours and 8 minutes to get to Black Lake, so I continued to hike up above Black Lake into Glacier Basin to get better views of The Spearhead and surrounding mountains. My round trip car-to-car was 5 hours from the Glacier Gorge trailhead up to Glacier Basin above Black Lake.
Below is a sampling of photos from my day out. Sure beat going on a run!
Photos