BACK ON TOP - JOE MILLS MOUNTAIN & MOUNT WUH

Hike date: May 25, 2008 Trailhead: Bear Lake, elevation 9,475 feet; Highest elevation on the hike: 11,078 feet Total trip distance: About 7 miles. Weather/trail conditions: Partly cloudy and breezy, mid 40's early morning to around 60 degrees in the afternoon. First half-mile of the trail above Bear Lake about half snow-free, with primarily deep snow above 9,800 feet. Route: Bear Lake to Flattop/Odessa Trail junction; Odessa Trail toward Lake Helene to about 2 miles from Bear Lake, then off-trail. Ascended Joe Mills Mountain from the northeast, descended to Round Pond, then ascended Mount Wuh from the west. Descended Mount Wuh to the southwest, then cut directly south to regain the trail back to Bear Lake. (See route map below)

Late May is a time of transition in Rocky Mountain National Park. I have always enjoyed the mix of deep snow and warmer weather as winter fights to hold off summer this time of year. While lower elevation lakes and meadows have already lost their blanket of snow, the higher elevations still struggle in the clutches of winter's grasp. My goal was to get back on top; to see this landscape in seasonal transition from lofty vantage points. After hiking to the top of Steep Mountain the previous day, I was anxious to build on that feeling with more intimate views of some of RMNP's showcase mountains. So, I strapped on my snowshoes at Bear Lake and headed up the Flattop Mountain Trail.

Bear Lake

Snow-covered trail around Bear Lake

Half Mountain and cloud-covered Longs Peak

Hallett Peak from Bear Lake

Deep snow was prevalent all around Bear Lake at 9,475 feet elevation. Only a tiny section of the lake showed any signs of thaw, as most of the lake's water was still buried under a thick snowy blanket. The trail was well-trampled as usual in this area, although some dry spots on the trail began to appear in the more sun-exposed areas. The first half-mile of the trail would present a 50/50 proposition of needing snowshoes as snowdrifts gave way to dry, rocky trail and back to snowdrifts. I opted to keep the snowshoes on and just tread lightly across the rocks when they appeared, but eventually decided to remove the cumbersome footwear. As expected, about five minutes later the snow appeared underfoot for good, and the snowshoes were returned to my feet. My plan, as detailed in the route map below, was to follow the Flattop Mountain Trail to its junction with the Fern-Odessa Trail system, where I would head toward Lake Helene for about another 1.5 miles. At a convenient point, I would leave the trail and head for the ridge leading northeast from the summit of Joe Mills Mountain.

Well before reaching the Flattop-Odessa Trail junction, the deep snow had taken over and I did not see any more snow-free terrain along this trail. Heading through the trees along the already broken trail, I followed previous hikers who had tried a mix of skis, snowshoes or just plain boots or shoes to negotiate the snow-covered path of the trail. Selecting footwear this time of year can be tricky. Cold mornings usually mean hard, slippery footing and warmer middays usually greet hikers with soft, mushy snow, which can also be slick but leaves plain footwear hikers typically sinking in to snowdrifts with a frustrating number of footsteps. Slippery conditions were prevalent now as I followed the trail northwest, and I had to use care in a few spots where a long slide would accompany any slip-ups. A little over two miles from Bear Lake, I decided I had found the place where I was going to leave the trail. Although the preferred route up Joe Mills is a direct assault from the south, with steep snowfields still clinging to that area, I opted for the slightly longer, but less steep route around. I headed basically north from the trail, hopping over snowdrifts and picking the easiest route through dense forest. After numerous breaks and some challenging pushes up some steep sections, I found myself at a wonderful vantage point at about 10,600', northeast of the summit.

Near timberline on Joe Mills Mountain

View west at timberline

Views of the peaks instantly appeared all around as I left the trees and emerged on the ridge. The low clouds over the peaks were conveniently beginning to break up here in the mid-morning, improving my visibility of the peaks by the minute. I turned my attention to finishing the last push to the summit.

Looking toward the summit

View of Gabletop Mountain

Relative location of Joe Mills Mountain to surrounding peaks

Turning southwest and heading for the top initially involved a fairly steep ascent over snow. After weaving in and out of increasingly shorter trees, I reached a viewpoint of the last terrain I needed to cross. After plodding through snow for hours, the dry landscape ahead was a welcome sight, and I removed my snowshoes for this final stretch. An occasional harsh gust blasted the windswept summit ridge, but this part of the hike was fairly straightforward, and soon I reached the rocky outcrops on the summit of Joe Mills Mountain.

Odessa Lake from the summit

Flattop Mountain and Two Rivers Lake

Stones Peak towers over The Gable

Flattop and Notchtop from the summit

I will always love the flood of emotions that accompanies the final steps on to the summit of a mountain. Enhancing the experience this time were the hours of hiking to get here, and the sense of newness from this being my first ever visit to Joe Mills. Wind gusts battered the summit as blue skies continued to replace the clouds. In between (and sometimes during) the chilly blasts of wind, I snapped photos of the surrounding landscape. The summit has what is often referred to in guidebooks as a "strategic" location, offering great views of the nearby peaks and numerous lakes in the valleys below. I could even see the trail between Lake Helene and Odessa Lake after a dizzying peek over the summit rocks. The seasonal transition was showcased with lakes in mid-thaw and huge snowfields still dominating the peaks, but with warm sunshine bathing the snow-free rocks around me on the small summit.

Notchtop Mountain

Overlooking Odessa Gorge

Views included intimate looks at nearby Flattop, Notchtop, Knobtop, Gabletop, The Gable, and Stones Peak, and more far-reaching views offered Trail Ridge and the Mummy Range. All of this was enhanced by the dropoff around the summit, both south into the Mill Creek drainage and west in to Odessa Gorge.

The top few feet of 11,078' Joe Mills Mountain