Thatchtop

August 5th, 2007

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We started from the Glacier Gorge TH at 6:20AM. Our goal was to reach Shelf and Solitude Lakes. If the weather held, we wanted to extend the hike to the summit of Thatchtop. At 8:00AM, we turned off the Glacier Gorge trail to start the steep climb to Shelf Lake. The first minor obstacle is the creek crossing. It's technically easy, but it requires a modest jump across from a large boulder down onto another on the opposite side. A little intimidating since the water is moving pretty quickly there. More problematic is the return because you have to jump up. Fortunately, there was a fairly flat rock in the creek right next to the big boulder. It was about 3 feet below the top of the boulder and dry. We were all able to lower ourselves down to it, and then make an easy, level hop across the creek. I suspect that earlier in the season that lower rock might be under water. No cairns were visible from the immediate vicinity of the crossing, so we just continued straight into the woods keeping Shelf Creek on our left. A short way in, we connected with a series of cairns that led us all the way to the lake. The trail is quite steep, and it's well worn in many places. The plentiful trees provided occasional hand holds on the steepest parts. I imagine the hard packed dirt can be slippery when wet.

It took us about 45 minutes to climb to Shelf Lake. After a short break, we continued to Solitude Lake. The weather was still good, so a little before 9:30AM, we decided to head for the summit of Thatchtop. We left our back packs near the base of the steep talus slope to the summit. Sandy and Ali topped out at 10:00AM, and I followed 20 minutes later. As we descended from the summit and the lakes, storm clouds began building on the other side of Glacier Gorge and around Longs Peak. Following the cairns down led us right to the creek just a few yards down stream from the crossing. We were back on the main trail at noon. It sprinkled a little on the way to Mills Lake, but it didn't last long. We were behind the storm as it formed and moved eastward. It was very wet around Mills Lake, and some folks were talking about having taken refuge under the tress to escape hail. So I guess we were lucky to have missed the worst of the storm. Sandy and Ali finished a little after 1:00PM, and I followed about 15 minutes later.

This was a great hike, though I'd hesitate to do it in wet weather. It could get pretty messy on the ascent/descent between Glacier Creek and Shelf Lake. If you have the energy, I definitely recommend extending the climb to Thatchtop's summit. The steep wall of talus looks intimidating, but it's straightforward and stable - nothing loose, no scree.

Hike Stats:

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