turquoise lake | Krauss-ing The World

Boulder

The flatirons jut starkly out from the earth. It is fun learning about the geology on a hike with UC Boulder scientists. They explain how the plates rise at a 50 degree angle and became smooth through erosion with water over time.

The phone rings as I enter the Boulder Natural History Museum. It’s Michael Mann, renowned climate scientist, and I missed his call because of time difference. I find a quiet corner for the interview and it goes well. Mike is chatty so I only ask a few questions further discussing his keynote talk that morning.

I get to peak behind the scenes at the archeology of bison and horses in Colorado. We journey even further back in time with fossils of dinosaurs and ancient invertebrates like sea sponges and insects.

Fossil of a giant tsi-tsi fly. Some species I’m glad went extinct!

Afterwards I get to share local craft beer with radio producers, hosts and learn more about podcasting. Editors from HHMI tangled banks studios host a special reception as part of the Science Writers 2023 conference in Boulder, Colorado.

The final day of the conference I get to visit the Boulder mountain research station. We learn about the research spanning climate change to pikas, a cute rabbit relative that cannot survive in the alpine environments past 78 degrees. There are bee houses for native solitary bees, grasshoppers, many chittering red squirrels and yellow aspens & green pines. The view isn’t bad either.

I reunite with my friend and take off for Rocky Mountain National Park. The timed entry ticket expires 20 minutes before we arrive, but the park service lets us in with a knowing smile.

The views from the parking lot are already beautiful with several sharp, snow capped mountain peaks. Going up the paved road, we pass several lakes that reflect them. The yellow aspen leaves fall as chipmunks and jays fly by. I start to feel the altitude as we ascend, but the sun comes out and I am motivated to get to the trail end.

Lake Haiyaha, sacred space to the Ute people, has an emerald hue. The color change is a result of a landslide in 2021 that added glacial silt to the water, causing it to reflect emerald. It is not turquoise like in photos, but it is still beautiful beneath the mountains.

I develop a headache and quickly lose my appetite (though the breakfast burrito I get from Torchy’s Tacos doesn’t help). We head back down the mountain, passing bear lake as the sun sets. I don’t feel better until we are back in Boulder, although drinking pho soup broth helps.

We drive out to my friend’s house, where the stars are clear and elk line the roads near a fossil monument.

Oeschinensee

Posted on January 23, 2023 by krauss-ingtheworld

At this point Switzerland was beginning to get to me. I was paying as much as I normally would to sleep in a bed to rent a spot at a crowded campsite. The trains were double the price they should have been. I was feeling like I should have continued wild camping around Norway with those breathtaking views. However, I find a spontaneous detour to hike around a turquoise lake, and it makes all the difference.

My mood is instantly better once I take the more reasonably priced cable-car to get some height and see the bright green lake surrounded by the mountains. For some reason the mountain views alone haven’t been satisfying for me. Or perhaps it’s all the junk food, uncertainty in travel planning, and questioning if I’m on the right path.

Once I hike a bit higher up along the lake and take an energy block, a butterfly lands on me as if it is an omen. It stays with me until I regain the strength to hike up the cliffside on my own. At the top, the view improves so I can see the full scale of the surrounding mountains.

Walking along the cliffs is scary, but Norway prepared me well. I walk with ease along the edge, grateful the path is flat, until I get to the overlook of the lake.

Waterfalls cascade downward into the emerald pool. The kayaks paddling below look like pond skimmers. I eat my snacks and chat with a couple from San Diego who know the guy who reintroduced the california condor with the San Diego zoo. They hiked across all the way from Lauterbrunnen, while I just took the the train!

I make my way quickly down to return to the lake now that the lighting is better. However, now the clouds roll in, providing shade on this hot summer day, yet obscuring the view.

I take the cable car down, and a family from Saudi Arabia joins me in my car. I retrieve my backpack from where I hid it in the bushes and continue on the train south through the alps.