BLACK
AND BLUE
We
spent Sunday night at the Parkside Campground, which we had reserved a few days
earlier. It’s a nice little campground
on Rock Creek, although the water pumps are tedious to use. After breakfast Monday morning, we packed up
for a quick overnight trip. Then we made
the short drive over to the trailhead for the Lake Fork of Rock Creek. The parking lot was full, which was a bit
surprising on a Monday morning.
Apparently, there were a lot of people out for long weekends – when we
returned Tuesday afternoon, the lot was only half full. We improvised a spot, but then somebody
left. I moved the car to an official
spot, as it was a better place to leave it for a couple of days.
Our
plan was to hike in a few miles and camp along the Lake Fork of Rock
Creek. We would spend the afternoon
relaxing or exploring the area. The next
morning, we would attempt an off-trail hike up to Black Canyon Lake. Black Canyon Lake is a stunning glacial blue
lake in a cirque surrounded by Thunder Mountain, Beartooth Mountain, the Bears
Tooth, Spirit Mountain, and Mount Rearguard.
The head of the cirque features the Grasshopper Glacier, which was named
for the millions of grasshoppers (actually locusts) that have been found trapped
in the ice. Seeing this lake was at the
very top of my wish list for our 2020 trip.
We
hiked through heavy forest to a sturdy bridge over the Lake Fork of Rock
Creek. The Lake Fork is a major stream –
it would be considered a river in the mountains of North Carolina. I was glad for the bridge – fording it would’ve
been challenging.
We
enjoyed a pleasant hike upstream along the rushing river. Most of the hike was in the woods, but occasional
openings provided views of the surrounding cliffs. We passed several groups on their way out, as
this trail is a major route to access remote lakes deep in the wilderness.
A
steady climb brought us to Broadwater Lake, which is really just a wide, slow-moving
stretch of the river. The climb
continued beyond, and we began looking for potential campsites. We passed a few marginal options, but
continued on to a spur trail up to Lost Lake.
We debated camping there, but decided to continue upstream. After another 10 minutes we reached another
bridge over the Lake Fork. This was the
ideal area for our base camp. A spur
trail heads south here, and there are a couple of campsites along it. I also checked the other side of the river,
but didn’t see much. Finally, I scouted
upstream on the south side of the river.
I followed a faint path, and after a few minutes I found a great spot
along the river with a view of Mount Lockhart.
We found a winner!
Christy
spent the afternoon relaxing at camp in her hammock. I did some extra hiking. First, I returned to the trail and continued
upstream to Keyser Brown Lake. That one
features numerous campsites and views of Mount Lockhart, Whitetail Peak, and Thunder
Mountain. I started to continue up to
First Rock Lake, but a sudden thunderstorm forced me to turn back.
The
storm cleared quickly, so instead of returning directly to camp, I added on to
my hike and visited Lost Lake. It’s a
nice spot with some campsites below rugged cliffs. I scouted a faint trail that I thought might
lead to Black Canyon Lake, but quickly lost it in deadfall. I returned to camp, and enjoyed a pleasant
evening at camp with Christy.
We
got up early the next morning. After
oatmeal and coffee, we returned to the trail at the bridge. We hiked the spur trail heading south,
passing the campsites I had scouted the previous day. The trail was difficult to follow at times,
as it isn’t maintained and there was a lot of deadfall. Despite this, it provided a reasonable route
southwest to the unnamed stream draining Black Canyon Lake. We followed the creek upstream, until we
reached the base of a huge talus pile.
We dropped down to the creek, which we were able to cross without
getting wet using a lot of gymnastics.
We found a faint path on the far side, but it quickly braided into
multiple routes.
There
was no telling which route was the best choice.
All of them head up into the massive talus field below the lake. We tried going high and far to the
right. That is NOT the best route. We actually found a much better route on our
return. On the descent, we started out a
little east of the middle of the drainage.
We stayed mostly in the middle, but eventually had to drift a bit west
to avoid difficult terrain. This route featured
some grassy areas and a lot of smaller talus.
Our approach route was endless talus and huge boulders.
Despite
the poor route choice, we eventually struggled to the rim of the ridge
overlooking the lake. The view was
stunning! Black Canyon Lake lived up to
its promise as a beautiful destination.
The gorgeous blue water expanded below us, hemmed in by the rugged
cliffs on either side.
Climbers
continue up this valley to access the Grasshopper Glacier and to climb
Beartooth Mountain and Spirit Mountain.
I’m not sure how they get beyond the lake though. The lake is surrounded by steep talus slopes. It looks like a rugged route!
We
spent a couple of hours there and had lunch before we headed back. We returned to camp, packed up, and hiked out. We reached the trailhead late that afternoon
and enjoyed a celebratory beer in the parking lot. Afterwards, we drove down Rock Creek
Road. We passed several developed campgrounds
and found a primitive campsite a bit farther on. It’s one of many free campsites along Rock
Creek Road. It was the ideal spot for
us, as we would be starting our final backpacking trip from the end of that
road the next morning.
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