Backpacking 8/10- 8/14 2020

4 DAYS, 34 MILES, 6000 FT OF ELEVATION GAIN

Watch the video below!

Day 1: Island Lake Day 2: Twin Crater Lakes Day 3: Camp Lake (Via Grassy Pass and Rawah Lakes 1-3) Day 4: Hike out

T- 1 week

Prior to setting off on this backpacking trip, I (Katrina) spent a week mapping out our route and exactly how many miles we would be hiking each day, what lakes we were heading to, and where we would be camping. There were several different route options that I came up with and kept these in mind in case we decided to change our course (which did end up happening on our fourth day). This area has been on my to-do list for years but the conditions didn’t make it totally feasible with dogs. For instance, in the past, the trail would either be too snowy, muddy or boggy, or the river levels too high to cross safely between the months of June and August, but we timed it perfectly this year!

Hiking and backpacking with dogs, let alone two, comes with added challenges and we made sure to think of all of these prior to leaving, including packing extra food, a first-aid kit, dog booties as well as thermal blankets for the cold (30 degree) nights. I also packed a pin brush because there’s no way you can backpack with two sheepdogs and not expect to brush them.

We try to hike with the dogs in temperatures under 70 degrees but that’s not always possible on backpacking trips. Temperatures got into the mid 80s most days, which is why we would pack up and get back on the trail right at sunrise to get a head start on the heat. We gave the dogs plenty of breaks and water (at least every mile) when it started getting too hot. We were fortunate enough to have easy access to water throughout our hikes so we could filter it and fill up our bottles quickly. I also made sure to check Maxi’s paws regularly because for some reason they can become sensitive on certain trail surfaces, which is why I bring along a set of dog booties as well as a first-aid kit specifically for dogs. Fortunately we didn’t need to use either of these.

DAY 1

Scott and I both agree that day 1 was the hardest day of them all, and I think we are both happy we decided to do the loop counterclockwise and get the hardest hike over with first. We left home early… 3:30am early. We got to the trailhead just before first light and were on the trail by 6am, allowing us to watch the sunrise as we hiked into the forest with our 50lb backpacks on. We hiked a total of 8.7 miles with 2,839 ft of elevation gain this first day. Fortunately for us we were in the trees most of the way with a handful of stream crossings, one being more like a river, but it was a nice way to escape the heat. The majority of the elevation gain we did on this day was done in the last 1.5 miles, making it one steep incline and undeniably hard, probably the hardest hike we’ve ever done with the dogs, but with plenty of breaks we made it and oh boy was it worth it!

Enjoying the wind after a steep and hot climb up to this point.

After reaching the end of this trail, the next step was to find a good place to set up camp. Usually I wouldn’t camp in such an open area without much protection from storms, but I knew for certain there wouldn’t be any storms that afternoon or evening. It was a bit of a challenge finding a good area to set up the tent because of how rocky this area was, but we found one right beside a lake close to some trees providing much needed shade for both us and the dogs.

Camp for the night. Can you spot Maxi and Zeus?

While Scott and I set up the tent, the dogs napped in the shade, and after about an hour or two we went exploring around one of the four lakes in this area. Since the dogs were tired after our long steep hike, we decided to just meander around the lake you see above and admire the other 3 lakes in this area from a distance. Can you believe we had this whole area to ourselves?

One of their favorite tricks is to put their front paws on higher ground, all you have to do is tell them “two paws"

Zeus is the master at balancing on rocks

It was a little bit windy at the lakes, but the dogs love feeling the breeze through their hair

One of my favorite views and pictures from this trip

Day 2

On our second day we woke up to the sun rising over the eastern peaks which created an impressive reflection on the Lake.

We packed up camp relatively quickly and ate a small breakfast as this would be another long day with plenty of uphill and we wanted an early start to get ahead of the heat. Before leaving timberline we took a few pictures and then headed back into the trees.

All packed and ready to head out to our next destination

We left lake #1 and made our decent back down a couple miles to the connection trail where we would continue our loop counterclockwise up to another set of lakes. The plan was to hike up about 6.5 miles to the meadow below those lakes, set up camp and then hike another mile up to the lakes themselves with just a day pack. Similar to our first day, we were in the trees most of the way with a couple stream crossings, and once we reached the trail split off for our next lakes, we trekked another half mile or so to the meadow where we set up the tent. We were right next to a heavily flowing stream providing easy access to fresh water, and after relaxing for bit we made our way up to the lakes.

This was the second (farther) lake. Zeus refused to look at the camera because he was more interested in watching the only other people here enjoying the view across the lake.

Heading back down to camp. If you look closely you can see the huge waterfall. This waterfall turned into a stream near our campsite and what we used as our water source… freshest water ever!

We spent a little under an hour at the lakes before heading down. We would have liked to spend a bit longer there but it was just too hot and there was no shade for the dogs. Nevertheless we still took a handful of pictures within that hour. Once we got back to camp we relaxed for the rest of the evening after hiking a total of 9.1 miles with 1,602 ft of elevation gain.

Day 3

On our third day we left our camp in the meadow and headed up and over a pass with 360 views. Our plans changed drastically this day, it was supposed to be more of a rest day and camp at the same place for 2 nights and do side trips the following day, then head back the same way we came in. However, where we had originally planned to camp was a no-go due to a steep climb down to the next lake. We also thought about camping up at the pass but because of possible inclement weather, we decided to continue along the trail towards yet another lake and actually make a loop instead of our original plan to not do a loop at all but backtrack down the main trail.

To get to our next destination we hiked 7.75 miles with 1,078 ft of elevation gain. The majority of that elevation gain was done the first couple miles up to the pass.

After climbing over the pass we then hiked past 4 other lakes (because there are so many lakes in this area, a lot of them are either numbered or simply unnamed). A few miles later we reached our next destination lake which is where we stayed for our last night. We spent the majority of our time watching a bald eagle that was just across the lake.

Day 4

That night we got some rain and woke up to a very frosted tent. It was definitely our coldest morning of the trip but it quickly warmed up.

We finished up the loop by hiking another 8.3 miles back to the trailhead for a total of 34 miles with 6,000 feet of elevation gain!

34 Miles of Lakes