RMNP - Hollowell Park to Bear Lake out-back

RMNP - Hollowell Park to Bear Lake out-back

The day started on the prairie bright, sunny, and cool.  Mid-day found me in snow, clouds, and cold.  My hike for the day was to Hollowell Park in Rocky Mountain National Park, where I would go to Bear Lake.  I travelled down this trail earlier in the year when I did the loop to Odessa Lake, but I  have not done it in the winter or uphill.

The first part the trail is along Mills Creek and is relatively flat.  Once you get to Mills Basin, the slope increases and you are in for a long, steep climb for a while.  This part of the trail is in deep forest with little to see but trees, trees, and more trees.  The wind had blown the day before so parts of the trail were sitting in small drifts and occasionally hard to find.  Once I was near the top of this particular section, the sun broke out and a nice sun & tree picture awaited me.

Sunny snow

Once I was over the hilltop, I headed down into a small valley then up again to the ridge above Bear Lake.  Once to Bear Lake, I sat down and had a snack.  Sure enough, once the food was out, chipmunk Dale of 'Chip and Dale' fame decided it was time for a visit.  He was quite bold, sitting on the tree about three feet from me.  About that time, a couple of guys from Atlanta, GA stopped by and thought that was so cool, they asked if I was ok with them taking a picture.  I said, "sure".  Unfortunately, for them, Dale was not cooperative; moving behind the tree.  The Georgians left and I started to pack up and head out.  Dale was even more bold then, coming right up to me.  Finally I 'shooed' him away and got back on the trail.

Proof I made it to Bear Lake

Back up, then down on the trail.  I decided to loop around Bierstadt Lake.  This allowed me to gain a couple more miles and defer the last climb for a bit.  Finally, back down the hill to a lunch break at Mills Basin.  By this time the clouds had come down, the wind had stilled, and it had started to snow. It was very peaceful.

Peaceful Mills Basin

then back to the truck where I met a young buck and a couple of does.

The trek was a bit more strenuous than I expected, so I was a bit slower than usual, but I've recovered nicely.  All in all, another good day on the trail.

Overall Track Statistics for RMNP - HollowellBearLake out-back,   1595 data points

 Length 9.877 miles  :  Garmin Length 10.291 miles

 Start Elevation - 8365.06 feet

 Maximum Elevation - 9794.39 feet

 Minimum Elevation - 8365.06 feet

 Date of Hike - Jan 15, 2016

 Start Time - 08:23 AM

 End Time - 01:32 PM

 Total Duration -     5:09 hours:min

 Total Ascent - 2232.94 feet

 Total Descent - 2219.82 feet

 Net Ascent - 13.12 feet

 Maximum Grade - 17.27%

 Average Speed -  1.92 mph :  Garmin Average Speed  1.99 mph

 Maximum Ascent over Mile - 628.35 feet

 Maximum Speed over Mile -  3.05 mph

 Maximum Gain over Mile (%) - 11.27%