A Hike to Lost Lake
Articles - BV Outdoors

LostLake1by: Andrew Cook

“Not all those who wander are lost.”
- JRR Tolkien

I should set the record straight here from the outset: I’m not a hiker.  I mean, I’m capable of hiking and I can hold my own when out in the wilderness, but it’s never been my passion.  I’ve always appreciatedLostLake2 nature from horseback or the back of a raft, but rarely spent time hiking trails alone.

With that said, I’ve fallen in love with the Lost Lake hike.  The hike is short, very accessible to a wide range of skill levels and incredibly beautiful.  Lost Lake is set just a bit south of the Cottonwood Pass close to the Continental Divide.  Looking up into the mountains as I hiked along the trail, the snowfall from the previous winter was still evident on the mountainsides.  The snowdrifts interspersed among the green of the mountains lent an otherworldly feel to the afternoon.  

I’ve often felt that Colorado contains a mix of all seasons at the same moments – snow in the midst ofLostLake3 summer, sun brightening a cold winter’s day and autumn’s chill in the midst of a vibrant spring.  This hike embodied that feeling that this place could at once be all things to all people.

As the half-hour passed with my meanderings, I closed in on the destination for the afternoon: Lost Lake itself.  The reflection of the evergreens was caught in the mirror of the lake’s surface and the shore framed that reflection in a way that held me still in my tracks.  

I sat on the shoreline for some time, soaking up the warmth of the sun.  I took the time to slip off my shoes and dip my feet in the cool water, relaxing as the worries about the rest of the world faded slowly away.  The water proved to be too tempting in the heat of the afternoon and I hopped in with the fish.  The shock of the cold water wore off and I climbed out of the lake, drying myself off in the warm sun.

At long last, it was time for me to head home.  No longer lost, the lake was burned in my memories.  I’d gone looking for that which was lost and wound up finding a new interest in hiking that hadn’t been there before.  All in all, not a bad way to spend an afternoon.


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