A stunningly gorgeous hike on what was probably the hottest day of the year. We had never before experienced this kind of warmth in the alpine lakes area, with cloudless skies throughout, and a dip in the cool lakes was truly refreshing rather than just novelty or a test of the will. We started from the lot around 11 AM, and surprisingly it was not yet full. We reached the moss slab before noon, and cooled down at the falls not too much later. Once the grade steepens, it is no joke. As promised the last mile of the total four to Rachel Lake gains 1300 feet and was tough especially considering the outlandish weather. We downed a lot of water. We reached the lake just before 2 PM, making for a sub-three hour ascent. The Lake was certainly popular, though we were glad that some of the day hikers were clearing out by mid-afternoon. Still, for those seeking solitude, a weekend at Rachel Lake is probably not advised. After lunch and a swim, we decided to head to Lila Lake. We got off track just after the trails splits between Lila and Rampart Lakes and began following an old trail by mistake. We doubled back and got off track again, and began scaling another beaten path up a small peak along Rampart Ridge. We finally worked our way back to the right and reached the rim around Lila Lake, first encountering the small pond above it and noting the relative lack of visitors. At around this point, we sustained a full insect assault, including mosquitoes and black flies. The two types of repellent we had did little to quell their furious blood thirst. We swam in Lila Lake and found bug refuge on the small island, overlooking the peaks beyond the edge of the water like an infinity pool--very cool. We started our way back to camp around 5:30 and had to move fast to minimize the bites. Once we arrived, the sun was just setting behind the ridge to the west of Rachel Lake. A gorgeous red-orange moon rose as we ate dinner on a bluff facing east over the valley, and just before full darkness clouds materialized from the west. An epic day. Up early on Sunday we made the descent in exactly two hours.
Comments