Day 3 - Emerald Lake

Katie got a shot of me getting the shot at the top of the last post!

Our Emerald Lake hike began at the Bear Lake trail head. (Hike Info: http://www.thespiritoftherockies.net/spirit/Hikes/Emerald/EmeraldLake.html ) This parking lot is rather large, but from what I've heard, later in the summer it can be filled completely. It's hard to imagine that many people on the trails, even though we saw quite a few out on our hike. Bear Lake is just a few feet from the parking lot. A paved multi-use / accessible trail circles the lake, however even in early June it was still covered in snow.Even still, the views of the lake were amazing and the weather was perfect, in the upper 60's / low 70's.


The trails were mostly covered in hard-pack snow, greater than 1' in depth in most places. This was a completely new experience for Katie and it took a bit of adjusting. Having treking poles seemed to help keep steady on slippery trails.


This post ends with a shot of our second lake along the hike, Nymph Lake. It was still ringed with snow and ice, thick enough to walk out over some of the shallows.

CO Trip Day 3 (Continued)

CO Trip Day 3 (Continued)

Day three began with beautiful, Colorado blue skies. The kind of blue that we rarely, if ever, see back home in Florida. We were hoping for an early start out of the campground, and despite a chill in the air, still managed a respectable start after breakfast and packing up the tent.


The vistas greeting us from the campground were stunning. I could hardly wait to get off of the pavement and onto the trails!

As the tourists we were, we couldn't pass up an opportunity to get a great bear sign photo! And yes, Katie made sure that our campsite was bear-proofed before heading to bed.

CO Trip Day 3 (Just a Start)

(I'm squeezing this short post in between some statistics programming that is just driving me nuts.)

Day 3 began with a chilly morning that wrapped up Katie's first night in my backpacking tent. She described it as 'cozy'. I would describe it as 'lightweight'. Both of us were correct. It is a small tent especially with more than one person in it. Changing and getting ready for bed requires taking turns. Standing up inside the tent is not an option and sitting up in the tent is barely navigable. Despite all that - it packs down small and weights in under 5lbs.

It's a great tent: Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight
I recommend it.
I've had that tent for about 8 years now and it has probably 200 hundred nights in it, with never a serious leak or problem.