This summer I camped at Pawnee Campground in the Brainard Lake Recreation area for a couple of weeks. I followed a few sites I like via Campnab, and when a cancellation popped up for 10ish days in late July I snagged it.
One morning when I was there, I set off on my e-bike with a jug of water and my small bag, just planning to ride around a bit. I found myself up at the Long Lake trailhead, and on a whim I locked my bike to a post and took off to go see how things were looking at the lake.
I headed counter-clockwise, around the North edge and picked a spot with some rocks to sit and take it in. On the opposite shore, further to the West I could see three moose ambling around in the water.
After watching the moose for a bit and moving further along the North shore I decided to double back and take the path around the lake for a nice walk.
The morning was brisk and comfortable, in stark comparison to the high heat just 45 mins East on the Front Range. I made my way down the Jean Lunning trail in good spirits. I was in my tennis shoes and carrying my water bottle since I hadn’t planned to hike.
I walked at my own pace, IDing some birds in the Merlin app and taking pictures of whatever struck my fancy with my phone. When I reached the West end of Long Lake and the trail split for Lake Isabelle I made a snap decision to head for the higher lake, internalizing the caveat that I could turn around at any point if I needed to since I had no plans and wasn’t committed to any destination.
I’ve hiked around Long Lake a bunch but have only taken the spur up to Isabelle once before, in September 2021 on the morning of the first day of my TAM trial. It was a challenging hike for me at the time, and I used it then as a reminder that I can do new and difficult things when I put my mind to it.
This time I made it up to the lake without as much effort as I remembered expending the first time. Post hike when I looked at the times, Strava told me that I did the hill climb to Isabel in about 25 minutes, in comparison to the hike in 2021 where it took me 45mins. It was nice to see some positive change, especially since I wasn’t in any rush.
As usual the Lake was stunning. The area around the lake was green from afternoon rains and the remaining snow was melting as the temperature rose.
I stopped on the North side of the lake where the trail crossed a glacially cold stream. It was relatively passable. I watched two sets of hikers traverse it, one slipping on the wet stone and ending up in the water, and the other group removing their shoes completely to cross.
The other option was to cross on the snow bridge just below where I was sitting. I saw a couple walk out onto it, but seeing how quickly the snow was melting I decided that it was too hard to tell how solid it was or when it might decide to break apart. So I went with my gut feeling, and decided this was my turn-around point since I was in tennis shoes and not particularly prepared for cold wet feet or an ankle injury if I would have slipped off a rock.
As I sat taking in the lake with my senses and my camera, the clouds started to roll in over the Continental Divide. I took a few last looks and tried to memorize the smells and sounds, and reluctantly headed back towards the trailhead to get ahead of the afternoon thunderstorm that I knew was coming.
Back at the split with Jean Lunning I headed South, continuing counter-clockwise. Raindrops fell lightly through the trees as I made my way along the forest path, over the wooden bridges and lightly running streams and back to the bridge on the East side of Long Lake.
All told, it was a wonderful day, and I’m always looking forward to the next time I can make it back up into the IPW. In the future (with some actual planning) I’d like to continue up Pawnee Pass and/or further past Isabelle up towards the glacier before it’s gone. Hopefully the glacier’s disappearance is not as imminent as it seems.
I’ve also earmarked the trail from the South side of Jean Lunning that switchbacks up to Niwot Ridge for a future endeavor.
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