Hagerman Pass
Hagerman Pass is one of those trails for us -- a trail we've tried to run in the past but it turned us away. This was our third attempt after snow stopped us the last two times. We were determined to make it to the other side if we had to dig through snowdrifts the entire way. As luck would have it we had a perfect trip.
We ran Mosquito Pass first and then found the Hagerman Pass trailhead without any issues. We were treated to some deer running across the trail right after we got started. Turquoise Lake was absolutely gorgeous, too.
It was an easy trip on the mellow dirt road and we all parked at the Carlton Tunnel. There were a few other cars parked there and some people in a rented minivan asked us if we thought they could continue to the other side. We told them it probably wasn't a good idea so they headed back to Turquoise Lake. Could they have made it? Maybe, but probably not.
Carlton Tunnel is definitely interesting and it's in a very scenic area. We took lots of pictures and wandered around. It was chilly at around 45 degrees but it wasn't too bad. It felt like winter was right around the corner.
When we were done exploring we continued up. The climb was steeper than before because we were no longer on an old railroad bed. It also got a bit rockier in spots but nothing was too challenging.
At one point we could see three seasons at once. The tallest peaks across the valley were getting snow and they already had quite a bit of new snow on them. The shorter ridges closer to us had fall colors on the open areas with yellows and browns. Then another spot was still green with summer grasses. It was really an awesome sight.
When we got close to timberline and the pass we saw large and small snowfields. Some had new snow on them and others didn't. It was a bit rockier as we got to the top.
We parked at the pass and took pictures near and around the sign marking the top. It was really windy and cold so no one hung out for long. We were all soon back in our vehicles.
The trip down the other side was pretty mellow. The weather got better and we even saw patches of blue sky.
When we got to the end we started up the Diemer and Sellar Lakes trail, another new one for us. It was already a great day.
