Paddling
High: Alpine Lake Adventures – Fishing from a Pack Raft
This summer, while exploring various alpine lakes with my
fishing rod in tow, I found myself wishing I could bring my kayak along. The
idea of floating on pristine waters, on top of the world seemed like a slice of
heaven. Then, like Google was reading my mind, pack rafts started popping on my
feed. Bingo!
I reached out to my compadre, Chris Ingram, and with a
little back and forth we decided on Saint May’s Lake for the tiger trout and
Ice Lake for some good old-fashioned elevation. To top it off, Mountain Side
Gear in Golden got wind of our excursion and reached out to sponsor the trip with
some loaner boats. With everything in place, we were ready for an epic
adventure.
Mary’s
Little Lake – Mary had a little lake
I’d always wanted to see the famous glacier at Saint Mary’s but
the real hook was the tiger trout - one of the few species in Colorado that
Chris and I have never landed. I was stoked to pull one out of the water and examine
the wild maze-like patterns that these hybrid trout exhibit on an up close and
personal level.
During our hike up the steep, wide rocky trail we encountered
a fly fisherman who was more than willing to share his secrets. “They’re biting
on ant patterns!” he exclaimed. A mile
and a half later, around 10k feet, the trail opened to reveal the shimmering glacier-fed
lake, flanked by wind-sculpted trees to the east and rocky slopes to the west. Witnessing
a skier bombing down the glacier was the cherry on top - You don’t get more “COLORADO”
than that.
After soaking in the gorgeous landscape, we found a flat, beachy area near the water, plopped our backpacks down, and assembled our gear. Launching the tiny watercraft was a circus act compared to our usual heavy-duty fishing rigs. After testing the stability (which was fantastic) I looked over to see Chris spinning in circles and for a minute we both spun around grinning like a kid with new toys. Now for the speed test, taking short quick strokes with my paddle, I zoomed across the water with ease realizing these things can cruise. These pack rafts were the real deal! - stable, nimble, and surprisingly fast. I’m Sold!
Chris, armed with ant patterns, hooked a lightly colored
brook trout right out of the gate. Then his second pickup of the day wasn’t far
behind and yes! It was a highly desired tiger trout. We took a moment to
examine the maze of color and psychedelicacy of this groovy little fish before
releasing her back into her home. Over the next 3 hours, I watched Chris catch six
high alpine trout while I kept switching baits on my spinning reel trying to
get a nibble. Note to self: “alpine trout love flies”. As the sun began to dip,
we decided to pack up and head out to grab a camping spot at Loch Lomond before
nightfall.
Lock Lomond
to Ice Lake
Ice Lake has been on my radar since I made the journey a few
years back where we caught fish out of the lower lakes but struck out at Ice
Lake. In July, I attempted a return, but snow-covered trails and gushing
waterfalls ruined my plans. I knew fishing at this 12,000 foot waterhole would
be challenging due to steep, scree-covered banks, making casting and navigating
it difficult. Pack rafts seemed to be a solution. The Colorado Fishing Atlas promised
natural cutthroat trout in Ice Lake and I wanted receipts.
Section 1 – 4-Wheelin’
in the Subi’s
Reaching the trails involved some off-roading up a 2-mile rocky
road but with some skill behind the wheel our Foresters made easy work out of
it. About a mile and a half in, there are campsites on both sides of the road.
This is about where the forest ends and opens up to a rockier, open view and where
the trees become short and scraggly, an inspiration for bonsai enthusiasts. After
crossing a creek, we finally reached Loch Lomond, the first lake in this chain,
where we chose to camp in our cars above the timberline.
We rolled in, picked a spot, and devoured dinner. Just as I
was thinking about crashing out, Chris asked two questions; “Do you ever do
light paintings?” and “Can you show me how?” This is one of those photography
techniques that I haven’t done in a while but am always excited to play with.
So we busted out the tripods, cranked down our shutter speeds, and spent the
next two hours in photography bliss.
Section 2 – The Loch Lomond Trail
Loch Lomond, the largest in this chain of lakes boasts a stunning waterfall
at the Northwest end cascading down from our destination 1,000 feet above. The western
bank is where I’ve always started my hike, a thicket of smaller, scraggly trees
mixed with densely populated shrubs and sporadic growths of wildflowers.
Heading towards the waterfall, we made a few small water crossings through a
tight, meandering trail, leading to our first steep sketchy accent.
Section 3 – The
Climb
Less scenic and more of a grunt, this half-mile ascent over
marble-like rocks at a 75-degree angle. Hell,
maybe it is scenic but got lost on me in my drive to reach the top.
Section 4 – Water
Features
The first of three small lakes is what greets us as we make
the crest. Once we got there and took in the view, the wind started whipping, compelling
us to put on our rain jackets as we pressed forward, hoping Ice Lake would be
protected. Crossing its dam, we entered into
a riparian zone with lush shrubs, grass, and the random sound of pikas- all
supported by wildflower-lined streams flowing and cascading throughout the area
from one lake to the next. With so much foliage and very little foot traffic up
here, we had a difficult time following the faint trail. Going in opposition to
the flow of the stream led us to the end where the waterfall turns into a stream.
That’s where the beginning of our last ascent begins.
Section 5 -The
Waterfall Ascent
At the waterfall's end, we veered right and scrambled over a
scree field then worked our way towards the waterfall where we found the faint
trail going up. Following and crisscrossing the falls, repeatedly, up the
80-degree, 1.5-mile hike. The views - oh the views! Looking down I see the crystal-clear
cascading stream lined with an abundance of yellow wildflowers. Looking back, I
can see the series of lakes that Ice Lake feeds with hazy mountains in the
distance. Looking side to side makes you feel insignificant in comparison to
the towering rocky cliffs. Looking up, I see the clouds coming over the edge of
our accent and dissipating into nothingness. It’s a difficult climb but the views kept me
going. As we got close to the top, we noticed that the stream had stopped just
short of the lake so we followed it to the end where it was seeping out of the
ground/natural dam of Ice Lake. The last section of this hike is steep but once
we reached the top of the ridge, a breathtaking, frigid landscape awaited us.
Section 6 – Arrival
at Ice Lake
Perched at over 12,000 feet, Ice Lake is a desolate gem,
accessible only for a few months each year. This rocky bowl fills with ice and
snow during the winter and when it warms in the spring, it creates this
magnificent series of waterfalls coming over the dam and out from the earth
feeding nature and the lakes below.
As we stop to catch our breath at the ridge, we stare into
this cool landscape parked in the gloom of the edge of a grey sky, a feeling of
accomplishment washes over me. Now all we had to do is launch our boats and
catch fish, but Mother Nature had other plans.
We hiked down to what seemed to be the only flat spot at the
edge of the water and as the wind howled at 12-15 mph, we used it to our
advantage and let it fill our inflation bags as we aired up the pack rafts and let
the chill set in. We slid our boats into the water and to my surprise the boats
cut through the wind like a knife to butter. It was in the mid-40s, chilling
but refreshing, exciting but mysteriously silent in the large bowl of water.
Chris and I decided to paddle to the other side of the lake where it looked
like we could get some relief from the relentless wind. Casting and working the
small area blocked by the forces seemed restrictive so we worked our way out in
search of a bite. The wind was howling and blowing us around and back towards
our launch.
After about an hour
and a half of freezing fingers, empty hooks, and the darkness of clouds
creeping lower into our bowl, we decided it was time to hightail it out of
there. I’m glad that we made that call when
we did. As we rolled up our rigs, the clouds started barreling down on us creeping
lower and lower into the bowl.
We made it out of the bowl and started down the waterfall
trail, looking back to see the clouds rolling over the edge of Ice Lake. We picked
it up to a pretty good clip, but looking back consistently to watch as the
clouds chased us back to our vehicles, swallowing everything that we just
experienced.
A shout-out to Mountain Side Gear Rentals in Golden for
loaning us the pack rafts. It’s a great shop with friendly staff, and all of
the essentials. And to Chris Ingram, my adventure compadre since the article
"Broken Stripes," where we caught wiper at Jackson Lake – here’s to
more adventures.
Until next time, keep your lines tight and your rafts full
of air.
-Dustin Doskocil
Doskophoto
