A tough day. We gained a ridge above our lake campsite and climbed 800 vertical feet to a knob. We enjoyed 5 miles of hiking thru grassy alpine terrain with numerous small ponds. We descended a rocky trail to Dipping Lakes where we were greeted by a cloud of mosquitoes. They didn’t bite much, however. After a steep climb out of Dipping Lakes, we headed north for 5 miles not changing elevation much to Trail Lake. We ate a late lunch there (see photo). Then north again thru the alpine. The trail (actually more of a rough path) was often rocky. Hiking was slow. Our destination for the day was Blue Lake at 17.3 miles on the day. The last 2 miles featured lots of water on the trail, wet feet, and snowbanks that covered the trail for perhaps 50 feet at a time. Scrambling over the snowbanks sapped our energy. Finally, about 6 pm, we reached Blue Lake and found a good campsite. We set up our tents then made dinner. Bruce cooked extra food to lighten his load and to share it with me. We could manage only 17.3 miles today. Tomorrow looks hard, too.
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