Wandering in the fog...

I missed hiking in the high country, especially around Loveland Pass. Hiking there is unusual and amazing, and I've done it a few times (for example - Loveland Pass - snow in June). So last week I drove up there and... found myself completely lost in the fog. Honestly, I don't have any photos because there was nothing to take photos of...just a thick gray fog covering everything (I mean it). But I was there and I hoped that the sun would warm up the sky and the gray mantle of fog would disappear. So I climbed up to the top of the trail, seeing nothing but the ground just beneath my feet (yeah, it's a 1,000-foot climb and it took a while) and discovered that not only was the fog thicker there, but also the wind was stronger and temperature was below freezing point. So I turned around... and started walking down to my car. When I was almost back to the summit, the surroundings cleared up a bit and I had a glimpse of the mountains around me. The wind cleared away the clouds and fog, and I had a few minutes to enjoy the view.

 

I couldn't believe my eyes. I could see again after more than an hour of blindness and I took the opportunity to look at the distant mountain ridges...

The fog moved quickly and soon covered the surrounding area again...

Just to give you an idea of ​​what it looked like... A thick cloud of fog to the right moved quickly and within seconds covered the hills and made them invisible again. This is exactly how I spent my morning - wandering in these milky clouds...

Honestly, I have no complaints. I was unable to see anything, but it was a really cool experience hiking in the fog and I actually enjoyed it ;)

Also I had a chance to see a lot of flowers and it was absolutely beautiful!

Finally I got back to the summit and decided that it wasn't time to go home just yet. Instead, I drove a quarter mile down the road and turned to a small lake. I had never stopped there and was interested to know more about this place. But again, I was walking in the fog (now a bit lighter and not as blinding) and couldn't see much.

In fact, most of the time I saw something like this ;) But every few minutes the wind cleared up the surroundings a little and made my life easier...

It was a beautiful area, covered in flowers, and the fog only made it even more mystical (which I appreciated, by the way).

I made a wide arc and ended up on the opposite side of the lake.

There was still a lot of snow on the hills surrounding the lake (it wasn't white and clear, but remember, it was July 2nd and downhills we all forgot snow even existed ;) ).

Yep, a few more minutes the fog was back (and in fact I spent most of my time inside the foggy and misty air this day).

I walked around the lake and started climbing up the hillside and when I turned back I could see the entire lake and surrounding area.

I continued walking and within a minute half of the lake disappeared again. What an interesting hike I had ;)

By this time the sun and wind made the clouds move quickly and most of the time I had a good view (although the fog/clouds were still obscuring the view)...

But still... some places were hidden and created some kind of mysterious feeling, making you guess what was hidden there...

Finally I had a good view of the ridge I had hiked this morning. Now it was cleared from the fog... but it was too late... I was already tired and was about to return home. Next time I will do it again and probably the weather will cooperate and the hike will go better. But... honestly... I have nothing to complain about at all. Yes, I was unable to do what I had planned, but I had a rare opportunity to wander around in the fog not even knowing what was waiting for me just around the corner. This doesn't happen often, and I really liked it ;)

The pictures were taken on July 02, 2024.