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Aug 26, 2018 — I made a few errors on this route. First, I started at 9am. And second, I ascended the safe way and didn't really give much thought to the descent down Andrews Glacier until I had to bail from a thunderstorm. Initially, this route was supposed to include Taylor Peak and Powell Peak, which I ended up doing a few days later and their inclusion would have made this a much longer day.
Starting from the Bear Lake Trailhead (or Glacier Gorge Trailhead), head up the popular Flattop Mountain Trail and follow the ridge to Hallett Peak, and then over to Otis Peak, both Colorado 12ers, and both with awesome views of Longs Peak in the distance. From Otis Peak, you'll see Andrews Glacier. Without the proper ice descent gear, it's definitely more intimidating than it looked on a map. I looked southeast toward Taylor Peak, the 13er looming ahead, the first of two for my intended route. And then I looked west and saw storm clouds. Where did they come from? Crap. Colorado has not been my friend with weather this year. I made a quick (maybe stupid?) descision to attempt a descent down Andrews Glacier's south side, where the ice/snow had melted enough to leave a gap between the glacier and the cliff face. Fortunately, it ended up only being Class 3 scrambling to avoid a dangerous glissade down the steep slope. Earlier in the year, it could have been harder, and later in the year it might have been easier. Regardless, I don't recommend doing this without at least bringing an ice axe, or at the very least, ascent Andrews Glacier first and come back down the Flattop Mountain Trail, making the harder stuff earlier in the day. It's easier to bail from below the glacier than above.
From the beautiful glacial lake at the base of Andrews Glacier, follow the official trail down to the Loch Lake Trail and continue on well-established National Park Trails to the trailhead. This ended up being a really fun and interesting day even though I didn't get to summit everything I wanted to.
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