Unfinished Business

It’s more common than we’d like to admit, not reaching a coveted alpine objective, mostly summits. For one reason or another, we turn back, driven by time, conditions, weather, or the fun meter pegging zero. And then, from the comfort of home, we think about it all over again. What if, and why not, we ask ourselves. And if we’re smart, some of those objectives are left behind as we pursue new, bright and shiny adventures. And sometimes not.

Last week I solo hiked the Rachel Lakes Trail up to the Lila Lakes – Alta Mountain trail split before turning back. I wanted to summit Alta but had run out the clock if I wanted to get home at a reasonable hour. Not happy with the time-consuming, sustained steep roots and rocks in the last mile of the trail before Rachel Lake I doubted I would return anytime soon. I was wrong. My unfinished business gnawed at me and I knew I had to resume my mountain quest.

Just nine days later, on Friday, joined with two friends who were up for an early start, we hit the tail at 6:50 am. The early miles were chilly but we warmed up and shed layers as the steep section started just past the trailside waterfall, about 2.85 miles. We paused at Rachel Lake to enjoy the view and continued up the rocky switchbacks up into the subalpine zone towards Alta Mountain. At about 0.4 miles from Rachel Lake, and 450 feet higher, we passed the Rampart Lakes – Lila Lake trail split taking the right towards Lila Lake. After another 0.3 miles and 100 feet of gain we encountered the Alta Mountain - Lila Lake trail split that is marked only with a small cairn.

We headed left up the steep loose dirt and rocks in the first section of the Alta Mountain trail. The trail continues up the ridgeline towards the summit of Alta Mountain through some alpine meadows that make one want to burst into song. And there are also rocky traverses around several false summits with some exposure that won’t be comfortable for everyone. After a bit more than a mile and another thousand feet of elevation gain, we finally reached the summit cairn. The views from the top were stupendous, probably some of the most spectacular in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Some wildfire haze but otherwise perfect, warm, and wind-free. We didn’t want to leave.

The descent from the rocky summit was fun, all the way to Rachel Lake. And then it turned into a tedious slog back to the trailhead. We finished suitably bushed but happy with the accomplishment. Sometimes it’s good to go back. We named the sensational hike: Roots, Rock, Reggae.