Andrews Glacier to Flattop Traverse via Otis and Hallet Peaks

RMNP

It's been a long time since I climbed a major mountain and I've been restless and ornery for months. It seems like every weekend either the weather is been amazingly bad in the high country or I've had plans at home (and the weather is gorgeous). It's frustrating! My work schedule is quite flexible, so I finally found the secret: the weather is often nice during the week. So I took off on a Monday and headed out to vent some winter frustrations.

For a long time, I've been looking at a Divide traverse in RMNP from Andrews Glacier to Flattop Mountain crossing the summits of Otis Peak and Hallet Peak along the way. It's an obvious set of peaks from the drive to the popular Bear Lake and Glacier Gorge trailheads, yet somehow I've never made it up either one.

(left to right) Taylor Glacier, Taylor Peak, the Cathedral Spires, Andrews Glacier, Otis Peak, Chaos Glacier, Hallet Peak, Tyndall Glacier, and Flattop Mountain on the drive to Bear Lake.

I headed out from Bear Lake at a leisurely 8am and made it to the Loch an hour later. The trail was packed hard from all the snowshoers and I made great time in just boots. The view from Loch Vale is always spectacular, and I noted the lack of tracks on Andrews Glacier a few miles away. From the Loch, the trail got less-packed and I switched to snowshoes following a couple sets of prints. Soon it became clear that these prints were headed for Sky Pond rather than Andrews and I headed off on my own. Unfortunately, I broke off too late and ended up thrashing around on some steep and deep slopes before breaking into the open below Andrews.

Taylor Glacier is definitely on my to-do list!

Andrews Glacier and the perilous slopes below it as seen from the Loch.

Andrews Glacier is a great winter route because it is only about 25 degrees at the most so avalanche danger is very low. Unfortunately, the slope below the glacier is considerably steeper and represents a moderate risk. I stuck to the north side of the slope near the cliffs until about half way up. At this point, I ventured about 50 feet out trying to get to a rocky island above which the slope is less, but I lost my nerve being alone and without crampons. Instead, I continued up the steepening slope on the right, eventually reaching a rocky step. In the process of climbing the rock step, I removed my gloves and, just as I reached the top, watched my left glove take off eastward in a gust of wind. Crap! I was committed now and didn't relish the idea of glissading the slope or downclimbing the rock solo. Fortunately, I had shell gloves for colder weather and used the left one for the rest of the trip. It wasn't ideal, but it did the job.

Andrews Tarn and Glacier after losing my glove.

Sunlight behind a buttress of Taylor Peak on my way up the glacier.

After the steep slope, the glacier itself was pretty easy. I haven't been at altitude in a long time and my progress up the snow slopes was agonizingly slow at best. At last, I reached the pass and met the full force of the wind. It wasn't much by the standards of this winter, but it was still blowing out of the west at 10-15 mph. Exposed skin would be numb quickly. I could also see a good bank of clouds and snow moving over the Neversummers to the northwest and some ominous clouds to the southeast as well. Lingering here wasn't a great idea if I wanted to complete my hike in clear weather.

I set out for the summit of Otis Peak 500' above and a half mile away. The ground was generally clear except between the jagged blocks of felsenmere where snow had piled to unpredictable depths. I hopped from rock to rock on unsteady legs, every now and then slipping and going hip-deep in the snow between them. When I finally reached the summit itself, the views back down to Andrews Tarn and Loch Vale were stunning with row after row of razor-sharp fins and ridges, all presided over by the square head of Longs Peak.

The view southeast from the slopes of Otis. All the way down is Andrews Tarn at the base of the glacier. The sharp pinnacles of the Cathedral Spires are dominated by the amazing Sharktooth. Farther lie Thatchtop, Chiefshead, and the unmistakable Longs Peak.

West of the Divide, the slopes are not nearly as dramatic. Here, Andrews Glacier from the east intersects the gentle western slopes of Taylor Peak.

Coming down from Otis was much worse than going up and it took a good half hour to descend the 300' to the saddle. Once I gained the grassy stretch above Chaos Canyon, it became easier to move and I set off toward Hallet. The summer trail appeared in places and I was able to avoid a lot of the rough terrain by walking trail and hard-packed snow. But the last few hundred feet were still rough talus-hopping and I arrived on the snow dome summit quite tired. Just east of the snowy summit, I found a calm spot and enjoyed a nice lunch taking in the amazing views to the north, south, and east. The storm to the northwest was getting closer, so I finally packed up and moved on, hiking down to the flats above Tyndall Gorge, then up the insignifcant rise (50'?) to the "summit" of Flattop.

Flattop "Mountain" and the Tyndall Glacier from the slopes of Hallet Peak. The curvature of the panorama makes it look more pointy than it really is.

Flattop is one of those peaks that's much more impressive from below than from above but I'd already bagged two much more impressive summits for the day. The tundra here was mostly free of snow and the huge cairns marking the summer trail were easily visible. I was pretty tired at this point, but it was all downhill to the car. The wind had dropped and the weather was spectacular, so I took my time poking around and looking at the views. My main annoyance about Flattop is that the trail is amazingly difficult to follow once it drops below treeline. This time, I didn't even try, moving north to a long snow slope at about 10,500' and glissading directly to the well-tracked trail leading toward Two Rivers Lake. From there, it was an easy 1.5 miles out to the car on well-beaten trail through peaceful forest.

Looking off the north slopes of Flattop, I got a great view of Two Rivers Lake and Odessa Gorge where I was two weeks ago.

Beautiful weather and awesome views of Glacier Gorge from the Flattop descent.

I used to think that Rocky Mountain National Park could have just as easily been established almost anywhere in Colorado, but the more I get to know the state, the more impressed I am at the wisdom of the Park's Founding Fathers. The scenery encompassed by Glacier Gorge, Loch Vale, Longs Peak, and all the rest is simply astonishing and definitely rivals anything else in the state. It was wonderful to get away and exorcise some mid-winter demons on a long and hard solo trip. Ticking off peaks is always a nice bonus as well. I return refreshed and ready to get back down to business.

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