The Spirit of the Rockies Trail Journal

IN SEARCH OF SOLITUDE - THE NORTH INLET TRAIL

Hike dates: July 6-8, 2007

Trailhead: North Inlet, elevation 8,500 feet;
Highest elevation on the hike: 11,060 feet

Total trip distance: About 23 miles.

Weather/trail conditions: Partly to mostly cloudy all three days with some rain.
All trails snow-free.

Route:

DAY 1 - Hiked from North Inlet Trailhead to Cascade Falls backcountry campsite.

DAY 2 - Hiked from the campsite to Lake Nokoni and Lake Nanita via trail.
After returning to Lake Nokoni, continued down the trail about 0.5 miles to an
unmaintained path toward Lake Solitude. Reached Lake Solitude, then
returned to the main trail and out to the Cascade Falls campsite.

DAY 3 - Hiked from the Cascade Falls campsite to the trailhead.

I felt a great anticipation as I prepared to set foot on to the North Inlet trail system on this hot July afternoon. Lakes Nanita and Nokoni were out there; the last two trail-accessed lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park that I had not yet visited. I had saved this trail for last, because its long approach made a day hike impractical. So, with camping gear secured safely on my back, I started my hike.

DAY 1

The afternoon sunshine was hot by RMNP standards, especially in the open terrain of the early part of the trail. Following a road through meadows, the level terrain was pleasant. I soon arrived at the Summerland Park campsites, with some nice views along the lazy, winding North Inlet Creek. Pine beetle devastation was very obvious here, with more trees displaying a rusty color rather than a healthy green. I was struck by how widespread the damage was compared to the previous year, and certainly disheartened by the rapidly spreading plague.

Beginning of the North Inlet Trail

North Inlet Creek

Summerland Park, North Inlet Creek

Trail east of Summerland Park

I was able to quickly find greener forests, though, as I continued east toward Cascade Falls. The trail began gaining some elevation for the first time, but only at a fairly gentle grade. I made good progress toward my campsite, anxious to get set up before evening.

After about 90 minutes, I had arrived at the Cascade Falls area, my home for the night. The afternoon sunshine quickly gave way to overcast skies, although the rain held off. I first set up the campsite at the designated site area above the falls, then returned to the riverside for an early dinner. While taking pictures in between biting off pieces of beef jerky, a water ouzel put on a show as it repeatedly dunked itself in the cold waters of the stream in search of its own dinner. I then headed up toward the campsite to a great overlook of the valley, and watched the last light of the day fade away while Cascade Falls rumbled faithfully far below me.

Nearing the campsite

Cascade Falls

Ouzel at Cascade Falls

DAY 2

I hit the trail well before dawn, as I still had over 15 miles of hiking to do to reach my goals for the day. Passing the Big Pool area, I got to see some morning alpenglow from the unofficially-named Six Mile Pond along the trail. The pond broke up a long and rather uneventful stretch of trail between Big Pool and the North Inlet Junction. The cool morning made for easy hiking, but I was anxious to get to the junction and start heading for Nanita.

'Six Mile Pond'

Dawn at 'Six Mile Pond'

Dawn had given way to morning as I arrived at the junction, heading briefly downhill toward North Inlet Falls. Past the falls and several campsites, the trail began its first steep ascent. I had a light day pack, though, and continued to press on with minimal stops as the trail climbed quickly through several switchbacks. Eventually the forest began to open up for some long-awaited mountain views as I got closer to Lake Nokoni.

North Inlet Falls

Trail to Lake Nokoni

Approaching Lake Nokoni

Paintbrush and trail to Lake Nokoni

My excitement and anticipation were boiling over as I neared Lake Nokoni; I had hiked about 10 miles now and was ready for the payoff. The lake remained out of sight, however, and I had a little more hiking to do. Past a few more flower-decorated meadows, the lake basin came in to view. I stepped out onto some large rocks near Nokoni's outlet and admired the perfect stillness and emerald color of the alpine lake. Although Nanita was undoubtedly going to be the visual highlight of the day, Nokoni was dramatic and beautiful in its own right. I sat down for a snack and refilled my water at the tranquil lakeshore.

Lake Nokoni

The call of Nanita was strong, however, and it was time to resume hiking. Reaching Nanita requires an ascent of a ridge between Nokoni and Nanita on a steep, winding trail. The trail gained elevation rapidly as I pressed on, soon towering well above Nokoni and revealing more views of surrounding peaks. Near the crest of the ridge at just over 11,000 feet, some spectacular views of the meadows west of Nanita and rock spires of Ptarmigan Mountain came in to view. The moon was dwarfed in the clear morning sky by the magnificent Ptarmigan Towers.

Meadow between Nokoni and Nanita

Moon and the Ptarmigan Towers

I stopped frequently to take in the views as I followed the trail downhill toward the lake. I had wanted to visit Nanita for years, but it had just never worked out and other hikes had taken priority. So, as I approached the lake and saw the sparkling waters through the trees, I knew I was finally going to see this RMNP jewel. The trail faded out as it approached the shoreline, and I hopped over a few rocks and down to the waters edge. It was instantly apparent why Lake Nanita is often considered one of the finest lakes in the park.

Ptarmigan Towers from Lake Nanita

Lake Nanita

Highlights of the great panorama around me included the dramatic Andrews Peak, the imposing Ptarmigan Towers, and a neat little island where a few small trees clung to life in defiance of the elements and lack of soil. While I would still rate the dramatic views at Chasm Lake and Spectacle Lakes as my favorites, something about Nanita and the long approach to this lake combined to make it very special. I wanted to sit here forever and enjoy its grandeur.

Lake Nanita

Andrews Peak and Lake Nanita

View southeast from Lake Nanita

Ptarmigan Towers from Lake Nanita

I had to constantly remind myself that I still had to press on and could not linger here. The sheer solitude and beauty of the place had made me forget where I had come from and what I was doing here, as for a moment I felt like my place was here, rather than back in the so-called real world.

Lake Nanita

Leaving Lake Nanita

View north from above Lake Nokoni

I paused for a few more views of the lake, knowing it would probably be a long time before I ever had a chance to see this view again. I followed the trail back toward Lake Nokoni, now seeing my shadow ahead of me on the trail in the midday sunshine. I took the brief uphill portion of the trail slowly, then enjoyed more great views from the ridge, before descending quickly to Lake Nokoni.

Above Lake Nokoni

Lake Nokoni

Trail crossing outlet stream at Lake Nokoni

Even after seeing Lake Nanita I still was struck by the beauty of Lake Nokoni. I took more pictures of the lake from several different spots along the lakeshore before tearing myself away again. I had decided to add one more remote lake to my weekend before heading out.

Trail north of Lake Nokoni

Wildflowers at Lake Nokoni

View of Chiefs Head Peak

Looking north from the trail

I had suspected that I would need to search for Lake Solitude without aid of any trail. It was with some surprise, then, when I saw a small trailside cairn about where I thought I should start my search. I left the main trail and headed in to the dense woods following a faint path through the undergrowth.

The faint path, however, proved problematic to follow, despite my experience in off-trail hiking. The path often disappeared, only to reappear as multiple game trails before vanishing again. Just when I thought the trail had some permanence, it would fade out again near a stream crossing or under a downed tree. The terrain was uncooperative as well, as I rarely found any flat ground to cross. But my search was not in vain, as through an endless series of losing and finding the trail and double-checking my topo map I made my way toward the shores of Lake Solitude.

Trailside paintbrush wildflowers

Faint path leading toward Lake Solitude

I stepped over one more downed tree and through some tall grass to find myself along the western shoreline of the surprisingly large and scenic Lake Solitude. A few logs had become jammed near the lake's tiny outlet stream, and some submerged boulders reflected in the lake to decorate its waters. Distant Mount Alice and the afternoon clouds also reflected perfectly in the still, quiet lake.

Lake Solitude

Lake Solitude reflection

Western shore of Lake Solitude

Looking toward Mount Alice

The open meadows surrounding the lake are undoubtedly a great wildlife habitat, especially this far from human settlements, or trails for that matter. No wildlife was visible in the afternoon light, however; I had the whole place to myself. Not only had I left the human world behind, not even a bird song reached my ears, a testament to the namesake solitude of the lake. It was as if the entire scene had been frozen in time.

I returned to the main trail over the rough path back, then descended to North Inlet Falls on legs that were starting to get weary. At North Inlet Falls, I saw two people sitting on the rocks just above the falls, the first people I had seen all day in over 9 hours on the trail.

Returning to the main trail

Small cascade along North Inlet Creek

A looming afternoon storm finally hit as I neared the campsite, after a long and tiring hike out. I had a small dinner before crawling in to the tent for shelter from the rain. The rain was intermittent through the night but mercifully relented as I packed up the next morning.

DAY 3

The 3.5 mile hike back to the trailhead was uneventful in the overcast, still morning. I had an array of wet and muddy camping gear, but otherwise had no complaints about my state, and the gentle downhill grade was not testing my weary body. I soon reached the trailhead and finished up what would be one of my favorite hikes of the year. My only regret was that I waited so long to see this great area, knowing my search for solitude and beauty was a total success.

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