Post by cweston on Sept 7, 2020 12:43:11 GMT -8
10 inches of snow is forecasted for tomorrow. So I got out for a dayhike since it appears I'll be hunkered down with work the next couple days.
Comanche Lake is 4.5 miles and 2600 ft of gain. It is one of those rare miracles of trail construction where the elevation gain seems almost evenly distributed over the length of the trail. It's engineered as the trail equivalent of a super-highway, as befitting its popularity. It could easily be hiked in either direction by headlamp if the circumstances dictated.
I left the car at 7:30. Before long, I realized I had forgotten sunscreen, so I set a more punishing pace than I otherwise would have, so that I could travel the portion of the hike above treeline as early in the day as possible. This was primarily an acclimation hike, so I wasn't planning on pushing so hard.
At about 2 miles, the terrain steepens as the trail heads for the saddle between Comanche and Hiltman Creeks. (Oddly enough, Comanche Lake is on Hiltman Creek, not Comanche.) But the trail switches back almost irritatingly, keeping the grade steady. At about 3 miles, the saddle is crossed, and the rest of the hike is a more moderate traverse above the Hiltman Basin (which has been hit hard by beetle kill).
As I was climbing, the Wet Mountain Valley below was filling with smoke from fires burning to the north.
I reached the lake at 9:30. I was feeling pretty good, and had I not forgotten sunscreen, would probably have continued to Comanche Pass and the Comance/Venable loop. I spent about a half hour at the lake, which was well-populated on Labor Day, and is, frankly, average in terms of scenery by Sangres lake standards.
Once I hit the shade of timber on the way down, I relaxed my pace, reaching my car at 11:30.