Frozen Lake


I've been to Frozen Lake before, but I wanted to visit some of the other lakes above Black that I hadn't been to yet like Blue, Green and Italy.  Unfortunately, just after I reached Frozen Lake, I only had enough time to eat my lunch before it started pouring rain.  I decided to save the other lakes for a nicer day and hiked back to the trailhead in rain.

Be sure to click on these thumbnail photos for larger versions.

 1. I left the trailhead a little after 6AM and started the hike using a route a little different from the usual route.  This is Hallett Peak on the left and Flattop Mountain on the right.
 2. Another shot of Flattop Mountain.
 3. Hallett Peak again.
 4. That wall is the end of the ridge leading up to Otis Peak.
 5. Back to the normal trail now, winding through the trees.
 6. A big rock slab is part of the trail on the way to Mills Lake.
 7. This is Glacier Falls.  Most people miss this waterfall because it's just a little off trail.
 8. Another picture of Glacier Falls.
 9. Nearing Mills Lake, Longs Peak and Pagoda Mountain form the backdrop.
 10. Mills Lake.
 11. Numerous trees clog the outlet of Mills Lake.
 12. The trail along the northeastern shore of Mills Lake.
 13. Looking northwest across Mills Lake.
 14. Ducks along the edge of Jewel Lake.
 15. Just past Jewel Lake, wood planks have been laid to help you cross a marshy area.
 16. Glacier Creek.
 17. This is looking toward Stone Man Pass.
 18. Looking up Glacier Creek toward Mc Henrys Peak.
 19. I don't think this waterfall is named, so I will call it Lower Ribbon Falls.
 20. Another shot of Lower Ribbon Falls.
 21. This is the officially named Ribbon Falls.
 22. Another shot of Ribbon Falls.
 23. Getting closer to Black Lake.  Stone Man pass is in the center and Mc Henrys Peak is to the right.
 24. This is Black Lake and Mc Henrys Peak.
 25. The trail from Black Lake to the upper lakes follows along the left side of this stream which drains down from Green Lake.  This is looking east toward Storm Peak.
 26. The creek.
 27. Looking down on Black Lake after climbing a little.
 28. Continuing to climb along the creek.
 29. Another shot of the creek.
 30. Some beautiful wildflowers along the creek.
 31. Looking back at Black Lake again, this time with Mc Henrys Peak towering above.
 32. A smaller side stream and Pagoda Mountain.
 33. After the steep climb, I crossed the creek and started heading toward the Spearhead which is pictured here.  Frozen Lake is just beyond the Spearhead.  Look at all that granite!
 34. This is looking back toward the Mummy Range.
 35. Mc Henrys Peak and Arrowhead.
 36. This shot is kind of blown out, but it shows Mills Lake far down below.
 37. I'm at the base of the Spearhead now.  It's a good spot to stop and really get a good look at Longs Peak which is Huge from here.  I set my zoom lens on 300mm and took a whole series of shots hoping to capture some hikers.  As you can see, there are a few gaps.  An angry mob of mosquitoes started attacking me part way through my efforts and I lost my concentration and missed a few areas.  From here, the Keyhole route between the Keyhole and the Trough is visible.  The Trough is mostly hidden by the Keyboard of the Winds, which is in the right third of the picture.  Super Size It!  (498kB).
 38. This is the Longs Peak Keyhole from the Glacier Gorge side.  The side opposite you usually see pictures of.
 39. Zooming in a little tighter.
 40. I found several hikers in those pictures.  Here is a group of three that were off trail a little, below the "false keyhole".  You can see the ledgy trail near the bottom of the picture.  I have no way of knowing if they were accidently or deliberately off trail.
 41. Here is an image showing the hikers that I found.  There weren't as many as I expected to find.  But then, they had a better view of the bad weather that was approaching than I did and many probably headed down early.  The red line shows the location of the trail.  The location drawn is very accurate because I was actually able to see many of the trail markers, aka "fried eggs" aka bulls-eyes in my 300mm images.
 42. After I surrendered to the mosquitoes, I headed toward Frozen Lake which was very close.  This is Frozen Lake and Mc Henrys Peak.  Makes you wonder if this lake should have been called Black doesn't it.
 43. Another shot of Frozen Lake.
 44. As I sat and ate my lunch, a light rain began to fall.  Soon after, the building clouds unloaded a fairly heavy rain.  I had planned to go to the other lakes up here but decided to wait for a better day.  I hiked back to the trailhead in rain.