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Aug 21, 2020 — After doing Bridal Peak a few days ago as part of a long route and seeing Columbine Lake for the first time, I vowed to hike to it during this trip, so I planned a cute little route that would hike up to the lake and also bag an unnamed Colorado 13er called Peak 13159. This may be the most gorgeous lake I've ever seen, and it's not nearly as crowded as I thought it would be. The trailhead is a bit confusing, being neither marked nor including a real parking lot of any sort. The trail basically just starts off a dirt road. I recommend parking where I did if you can manage it. Low clearance might have minor difficulty due to a stream crossing a half mile before my parking spot.
Once I located the trail, I headed up the somewhat steep switchbacks through unremarkable forest until I ascended above treeline. The trail continued through pretty tundra nestled between two hilly ridges, and through a low, saddle separating the southeast side of Peak 13159 and some unnamed point. The trail continued west to Columbine Lake, but I left it to ascend a gully to the south. The gully led me to the east ridge of Peak 13159. Some Class 2 required minor route-finding to avoid crevasses formed by big rock blocks to reach the usmmit. I fell in love with these summit views. To the north were the incredible peaks of the route I had done around Bridal Veil Basin, to the south was a grassy drop off, and to the west was Columbine Lake's exquisite blue color. I continued west along Peak 13159, Class 2. I ended up on a social trail than led me down to the lake. I hung out and soaked in the views for a bit (omg I haven't "relaxed" during a hike in probably years - I forgot how nice it could be) before returning to the Columbine Lake Trail and returning the way I came.
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