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click on any photo to enlarge) Whew! Today was a long day. We did about 23 miles and it seemed like more! We saw a lot of day hikers and equestrians today as we weaved in and out of 'civilization' for most or the day. Everyone we meet on the trail wants to know how we get our packs so small and how we do so much mileage each day. They quiz us about gear, shoes, bears, food, etc. We laugh because as we approach people we can almost quote what they are going to say- "You came from where?" The Blue Lakes area lies south of Kirkwood Ski area and is a popular camping and fishing location. We crossed Blue Lakes Rd. twice today. There are plenty of opportunities for day hikers to enjoy the entire area. From our camp on the creek we started early again today. Walking this morning was pleasant and not too difficult. Within an hour we climbed a small pass and passed Raymond Lake.
We then entered the Sunset lakes area which is below Blue Lakes. We passed in succession Wet Meadow Reservoir, Summit Lake, Upper and Lower Sunset Lakes, Lily Pad Lake and finally stopped at Tamarack Lake for breakfast. We knocked out 11 miles by 11am. I thought we were flying! We crossed the paved portion of Blue Lakes Rd. We then started the long climb up the ridge above Upper Blue Lake. We stayed high above the lake which seemed like a shame as I really would've loved to go for a swim and befriend a camper with an ice chest full of beer.
I had Lost Lakes as our proposed campsite for the night, which would have been 20 miles even. When we got to Lost Lakes they weren't all that scenic and we all felt we could go a little more to find a better place to stop. Of course the last 3 miles were uphill and it was hot. We finally crested the Forestdale Divide and just on the other side were a couple of small lakes that were very scenic and uninhabited. We found a great spot and fell into our evening routine.
The lake was cold but refreshing after a long, hot day. We were all tired but happy. The evening was warm even at our private 9000ft lake. Sleeping good will not be a problem!
(click on any photo to enlarge) Whew! Today was a long day. We did about 23 miles and it seemed like more! We saw a lot of day hikers and equestrians today as we weaved in and out of 'civilization' for most or the day. Everyone we meet on the trail wants to know how we get our packs so small and how we do so much mileage each day. They quiz us about gear, shoes, bears, food, etc. We laugh because as we approach people we can almost quote what they are going to say- "You came from where?" The Blue Lakes area lies south of Kirkwood Ski area and is a popular camping and fishing location. We crossed Blue Lakes Rd. twice today. There are plenty of opportunities for day hikers to enjoy the entire area. From our camp on the creek we started early again today. Walking this morning was pleasant and not too difficult. Within an hour we climbed a small pass and passed Raymond Lake.
We then entered the Sunset lakes area which is below Blue Lakes. We passed in succession Wet Meadow Reservoir, Summit Lake, Upper and Lower Sunset Lakes, Lily Pad Lake and finally stopped at Tamarack Lake for breakfast. We knocked out 11 miles by 11am. I thought we were flying! We crossed the paved portion of Blue Lakes Rd. We then started the long climb up the ridge above Upper Blue Lake. We stayed high above the lake which seemed like a shame as I really would've loved to go for a swim and befriend a camper with an ice chest full of beer.
I had Lost Lakes as our proposed campsite for the night, which would have been 20 miles even. When we got to Lost Lakes they weren't all that scenic and we all felt we could go a little more to find a better place to stop. Of course the last 3 miles were uphill and it was hot. We finally crested the Forestdale Divide and just on the other side were a couple of small lakes that were very scenic and uninhabited. We found a great spot and fell into our evening routine.
The lake was cold but refreshing after a long, hot day. We were all tired but happy. The evening was warm even at our private 9000ft lake. Sleeping good will not be a problem!
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