Any hike that starts by completing the less than a mile hike to Alberta Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park should be a good way to start the day. Joni wanted to leave the Glacier Gorge Trailhead and make the somewhat lengthy hike to Black Lake. Maybe experienced hikers are in better shape and ready to take on the six-mile journey to Black Lake, but any hike that results in twelve miles round trip is always going to be challenging to a armchair quarterback. Without question the almost two thousand feet of change in elevation is enough to classify the hike as strenuous, but the hike starts to get treacherous just before Ribbon Falls and continues to be a workout all the way to Black Lake. For those hikers willing to kick it up a notch and climb a little bit of rock face Frozen Lake is just over the next mountain ridge and supposedly spectacular. Gus carried a wide variety of snacks for the journey including a few grab bags of cheesy goodness. Two liters of water is probably not enough to keep somebody fully hydrated during an entire day twelve-mile extravaganza, but carrying three or four litters of water can really be limiting during strenuous hiking. Last night a hike-induced hunger drove the group to Outback Steakhouse for a series of filling snacks and of course one blooming onion. After hiking twelve miles, a full dinner is in order with appetizers, salads, and at least one main dish. Gus had some kind of prime rib steak that seemed to be more like a floating soup than a steak, but the garlic-mashed potatoes certainly were filling.
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Sounds awesome. Hope to get up there again this year.