9/28/11
Day two in RMNP started a little later since our hike to Bierstadt Lake was going to be shorter–to give us a little break after the previous day’s hike. We first took a short hike around Bear Lake. It was a half mile level hike but it showcased some of the surrounding peaks. Our “real hike” again took us through really beautiful forests. There were mini-forests of Aspens in gorgeous fall color. When we reached the lake at first it was a let-down. No steep mountain cliffs ringed the lake. Instead you could gaze at 180 degrees of distant mountain peaks dotted with glaciers.
We hiked to the sunny side of the lake, had lunch and relaxed while reclining on the surrounding rocks. We decided that Bierstadt Lake was every bit as beautiful as the other lakes we’d visited–just different.
On our way back to civilization we heard a woodpecker hammering away at a nearby tree. It was a three-toed woodpecker! We were sure this was a first sighting of this woodpecker for us. (We keep track of things like that, you know.) But alas we had already added that bird to our life-list. Rats!
When we arrived at the end of our 4.3 mile hike we talked to the couple who were just ahead of us on the trail down. They said: Did you see the mother bear and her two cubs? Believe me Howard and I will only be excited to see a mother bear with cubs in the ZOO. I should have said: But did you see the three-toed woodpecker??