Snowshoe Attempt on Shelf Lake

I’ve previously written up a post on Shelf Lake. It’s one of my favorite summer destinations to get away and catch some fish. I’ve never been up there during the winter. Bryson was back in town for the holidays so we decided to snowshoe Shelf Lake. The thought was since I’d been up there before we’d be less likely to get lost. Key lesson learned, the GPS is WAY more reliable than my memory!

Lately, too many of my posts involve failed attempts. I’m starting to develop a complex on my ability to accomplish things! I’ve hiked this trail many times. Doing it on snowshoes made it much, much harder. Despite not making it to the destination, it was great to get out in Pike National Forest with Bryson.

Shelf Lake Trailhead

Getting to the trailhead was uneventful until we turned onto FR119 off Guanella Pass road. Guanella Pass road is closed in the winter at FR119 making it pretty easy to find. The fire road is frequently traveled and usually has some good tracks to follow. It appears there was some wind and drifting lately. It wouldn’t have been possible to make it without a high-clearance vehicle with 4-wheel drive. You can still park at the intersection of FR119 and Guanella Pass road but it does add almost 3 miles each way to the hike.

Interesting Beginnings

The temps were pretty nice for this time of year. It was about 25 or so at the trailhead. We lightened our layers a bit knowing it was going to be a nice day although I suggested Bryson bring along his heavy coat. He carried that the rest of the day without coming close to needing it. Sorry Bryson, bad Dad advice!

We set out on the trail following some tracks from a previous snowshoer. These were pretty clear up to the sign where Shelf Lake separates from South Park Trail #600. Shortly after that, we completely lost the trail. Yep, 100 yards in and we were bushwhacking.

There was a fresh layer of snow and our snowshoes were typically sinking about 6 to 12 inches. It made for some tough hiking. It was apparent to me already that it was going to be questionable on whether we’d make the lake.

Back on the trail, for now

We made our way through the woods checking the GPS now and then. It wasn’t too hard to keep our bearings and follow the general direction of the trail. After about a mile, we came across the trail again in Smelter Basin. We also got our first views of some of the ridgelines surrounding the basin.

Onward and Upward

Shortly after joining Smelter Gulch, the trail gets a little steeper. It still isn’t too bad when hiking. On snowshoes, it makes me feel out of shape and humble. Just before a climb up the ridge, the valley opens up behind you for some good views. We took a minute to enjoy and catch our breath, then headed up the ridge.

The trail continues up through the forest following Smelter Gulch. We found the going a little tough in this area since there were more willows and deeper snow. The trail was pretty much nonexistent. At one point, we rested and had some snacks/lunch. The quiet of the forest was amazing.

It was around this time I learned another lesson for the trip. Snowshoeing through boulder fields can be tricky, and slamming your knee into a boulder covered with 1″ of snow hurts.

Somewhere between mile 1 and 2, Bryson took the lead breaking ground. It so happened it was also a deep, difficult spot. Coincidence? Probably not. It was such a relief to my tired legs to be second. Note to self, in the future, always let someone else lead on snowshoes!

We’d only gone about 20 yards when we heard a big “poof”, snow from somewhere above us falling. It reminds you to keep your awareness about where you are and the likelihood of avalanches. We knew we were fairly safe. There weren’t large amounts of snow on the ridgelines to the east, and there was a good valley between us and the western ridges. Still, it is a bit unnerving.

No Shelf Lake today

It was around 2.5 miles when we decided we weren’t going to make Shelf Lake. We’d been hiking for about 3 hours on a “trail” that in the summer takes less than 3.5 hours round-trip. We could see the area of Shelf Lake about a mile away. We headed out into an open area to enjoy the views and get a bit of rest before heading back down.

Going down – much easier

It was a heck of a lot easier heading back down following our own trail. The snow was more packed and we avoided our “mistaken detours” when we’d lost the trail on the way up. There was a good shot of the moon and a boulder field as the sun came out to create some nice lighting effects.

Back at the Jeep

We made it back to the trailhead around 4:00. It’d been 5 hours of hard work and we felt it. Knowing we were the only ones out in that beautiful forest, though, made it all worthwhile.