Fern Lake - Where charred is gorgeous!

Off to RMNP for a day of nature and exercise!

My memory betrayed me.... It had been a while since my last visit to Fern Lake and in that while, not one but TWO wildfires had devastated the area. 

The Fern Lake fire of 2012 (the year after I visited) had taken a large area that included the path of the hiking trail below Fern Lake. The East Troublesome fire of 2020, which was a spin-off from the original fire near Grand Lake, had burned the ranger hut lakeside, plus camp area and well beyond.

Somewhere between feeling the devastation to my core and witnessing the slowly-but-surely new life that scorched earth makes space for, I found myself giddy with joy, hope and gratitude for what the fires presented me with, personally. 

Sue and I left the car at Fern Lake Trailhead (RMNP) around 9am. Within a quarter mile, we had our first moose sighting and congratulated ourselves on such good fortune.

Another quarter mile in and we were stopped in our tracks by a large female grazing literally feet from the trail. Moose etiquette (and common sense) required us to sit tight and give her space... I.E. not pass her. Behind us, two smaller moose were creeping up beside the trail, also munching happily on those bright green new shoots. 

We were kinda trapped in place for 20 mins, until they peeled off nonchalantly!

And then there was the big guy. Rumor had been spreading faster than any wildfire down the trail that up-and-coming was a moose, napping in the middle of the hiking trail. Like any good rumor, there was a bit of exaggeration and a bit of truth! He was definitely smack-bang in the middle of the trail, causing all of us to cut a path through the shrubbery, down to the river, back up over the fallen trees and pop back onto the trail in front of him. He was not napping though... he was doing his teeth grinding thing and watching hikers fall over themselves to take his lazy butt picture! It's more than likely he is working tiktok better than I ever will!

The path continued on - up and up, through burned forests, past Fern Lake Falls and marmot rock. I have never felt more like Snow White than when I followed a blue bird through the forest... even if the forest was a sea of charcoal and this Disney Princess hung a Kula Cloth from her backpack!  (Ooh... ask me about the young man hiker who touched my Kula Cloth with his finger while asking what it was!!! The irony was I laughed so hard I almost pee'd myself!)

We picnicked at Fern Lake with thunder rolling ominously in the distance. 

It was time to beat a hasty retreat. Layers were coming on and off at record rates as the weather struggled to decide if we'd be getting sunburned or snowed on. Hail won out! We scrambled under a low rock overhang just in time and watched the white collect on the ground all around us. Again - kinda magical!

A couple of moose before reaching the car... and one to lead us out on the dirt road... !

Final moose encounter... this guy!

He lead the motorcade away from the trailhead in rain and hail with an easy trot.