Sagebrush and Pines: The Twin Lakes Loop

    Through the sparse pines I could make out the off white paint of the buildings throughout the historic Twin Lakes Interlaken Inn. I hacked up a ball of phlegm and spat it into the sparse snow of the underbrush on either side of the trail. I was nearly three quarters of the way there, just a few more miles. It was clear at this point I hadn’t eaten enough. I was bonking, bonking fast and my legs felt like they were full of concrete. I huffed, and kept going on the trail across the beach past the main decks of the inn. At least there was only 1500’ elevation change to go.

About an hour and a half before, Sarah and I finished our final little preparations for the trail. The route the loop took around the lake was mostly straightforward for the most part, as a majority of the trail traversed across the high desert sagebrush of the northern shore of both lakes. We had been looking forward to doing this loop for weeks, and the surprise early May snow had threatened to ruin our plans. Lucky enough, most of it if not all was melted by the morning of our jaunt. We were doing the Twin Lakes loop, 14 miles all the way around Twin Lakes, the namesake of the small town that guarded the eastern side of Independence Pass. I could not think of a better way to kick off a summer focused on the alpine, that something like this.

The beginning of the jaunt for me started and continued without any major incident. We parked at the Willis Gulch Trailhead, and instead of beating it quickly through the brush that marked the bridge across Lake Creek, we began by running on the short section of road back to Twin Lakes, and then gaining the remainder of the trail around from there. The way that we saw it, it was better to get the flat and fast stuff out of the way first, as a majority of the gain is handled on the way back before descending quickly to the trailhead again. I was thankful for our plan, as the morning was still markedly chilly for the spring and the sun beating on the sagebrush section of trail was more than welcome. I plodded slowly through Twin Lakes, it was early enough in the season that the General Store wasn’t even open yet. As I continued east out of the sleepy collection of houses that marked town, I took in the open flanks of the first lake beyond. It was going to be a hell of a day.

After about 10 more minutes out of Twin Lakes, before the White Star campground a small clearing appears in the brush off of Highway 82. This marks the point where one can enter the trail in order to stay on trail for the remainder of the loop. I found this spot easily and quickly. The time that I was making at this point was getting me excited. I was hoping to go under two hours for the day, as that I believed would be a respectable time for my shape in the season at this point. The next 6-7 miles or so progressed quickly. The singletrack follows rolling dips and rises near the lakeshore until it deposits you right at the dam at the far eastern point of the lakes. Nothing but the repetitive ambiance of sagebrush and ground squirrels to keep you company until the bend at the eastern shore finally comes into view, beckoning to make an about face and go back the way you came, but on the opposite shore. The wind whipped a few times as I strode across the section of trail on the gravel of the dam. My watch read nearly an hour now. All I had to do was seal the deal and get the little amount of miles I had left done. Contrary to what most would believe, by the time you reach the dam, the loop is over halfway done. A large “meat” of the route is simply just plodding along through the sagebrush fields on the northern shore of the lakes. The real “fun” of the route really only occurs for the last 2-3 miles or so.

I hurried through the Colorado Trail cutoff after the dam and continued back around the southern shore of the lakes. In the distance, less than a mile off, the familiar buildings of the Interlaken Inn were beckoning. Sarah I had ridden this loop a year before on our mountain bikes, and the now retired buildings of the old stage stop were one of the places that we had explored on our way around that time. There would be no time for me to do the same today, but the memories of a great day were comforting. I could feel the glycogen depletion in my legs begin as my energy levels dropped. I could only pray now that a gel would get me through my obvious mistake of not eating enough that morning. As the white buildings of the Inn’s old grounds passed by, the day began to warm slowly. At this point the sun was beginning it’s slow crawl from the ridgelines to the east in preparation for it’s position to the middle of the sky. I stripped my light jacket and any other layers keeping me too warm for comfort, huffed out a loogie into the bushes, and continued on. That energy gel I took down about 10 minutes before was not doing it’s job. I slapped around in my running vest, not finding another GU gel, but only coming up with a granola bar who had seen better days. I broke it into pieces and slowly chewed on them as I continued on. I more than likely would not feel any of the benefit of this, but at least I wouldn’t be too terribly hungry when we were done.

In the trees, the snow lingered. It made the more rapid ups and downs of this section interesting. Why bomb the descents when you could glissade them? My legs were dead and time was starting to get close. I had only about a mile left but I was definitely paying for my nutritional mistake. Before my mind could register where I was, I was crossing Lake Creek and sliding into the Willis Gulch parking lot. Sarah followed about 30-40 minutes behind. It felt like I had been gone for the entire day but my watch only read 1:54:00.

MAP:

Loop Details

Distance: 14 mi

Vert:1500-1600’ (depending on specific route variations)

Map: USGS Granite Quadrangle, Independence Pass and Twin Lakes Topo Map