We need some stinkin' showshoes

In our previous outing to the high country, we decided that we didn't need snowshoes. We were able to hike just fine because of the packed snow, but we had to turn back once we encountered soft snow. Yesterday, we went to the Never Summer Mountains, near Cameron Pass, for some hiking, and this time, we rented snowshoes.

From Lake Agnes & Nokhu Crags

It was a good thing we did rent snowshoes. Cameron Pass is on the Continental Divide in Northern Colorado. There was probably 3-5 feet of snow, mostly packed down from previous snowshoers and skiers, but not always. The snowpack was really incredible. It snows a lot up there.

From Lake Agnes & Nokhu Crags

Our hike took us from a trailhead on Route 14 to Lake Agnes, surrounded by the amazing Nokhu Crags. The weather was spectacular--warm, no clouds (or snow), bright and sunny. As we made our way toward the lake, we were treated to continuous views of the Crags and other peaks.

From Lake Agnes & Nokhu Crags

This is a popular place, and there are two backcountry huts for overnight stays in the area, so we encountered a lot of people. No solitude here, but the scenery is worth it nonetheless. Just as you get close to the lake, there's a small ridge you have to get over. Climbing up steep hills in deep snow seems like it would be quite difficult, but with snowshoes, it's now problem at all. Sometimes we stayed on the beaten path, sometimes we branched off and broke our own trail through the snow.

From Lake Agnes & Nokhu Crags

Finally, we emerged from the last bit of forest and arrived at the alpine lake. The sun was bright and warm so we stayed a while to enjoy the scene. A sampling of the MANY pictures we took:

From Lake Agnes & Nokhu Crags

From Lake Agnes & Nokhu Crags

From Lake Agnes & Nokhu Crags

From Lake Agnes & Nokhu Crags

Those strange rock formations called the Nokhu Crags played spectacular games with the sunlight. Unfortunately, we are mediocre photographers so we didn't really capture it very well. The peak itself is a sedimentary rock formation created when this area was under an ocean millions and millions of years ago. Erosive processes created the many shapes and continues to change the mountain to this day.

The more we visit sites like this, the more I understand why mountains inspire thoughts of the transcendent and sublime. Mountains are inviting with their spectacular displays, but at the same time, they can be very inhospitable and often dangerous. I'm currently reading a biography of Gifford Pinchot--the nation's first professional forester (sort of), first chief of the U.S. Forest Service, and early pivotal figure in the conservation movement that would eventually become modern environmentalism. Pinchot was inspired by scenes in the Adirondacks, the Sierra Mountains, and other places. He had legendary disputes with John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club. I can't say my visits change my views of their disputes and the modern environmental controversies we face, but I understand better why the emotions inspired by these places can be potent forces for good or bad. Pinchot and Muir developed a great friendship that was destroyed by their disputes over conservation issues, especially Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. A valley that was eventually dammed to provide water for San Francisco.

Cassie said it best as she took in the scene: "Wow! God is da bomb!" And he/she/it works on a grand canvas, but there are wonderful small works too.

From Lake Agnes & Nokhu Crags