Black Lake
We haven't had any snow over the past week but that didn't stop us from finding some snow that required snowshoes. With horrible winds during the week, I thought that there would be pent-up demand, so we got to the Glacier Gorge parking lot around 9 am to find it was only half-filled. Oh well, it was good to get this hike started early since it took us over 5 and a half hours to complete.
Looking at the stats for this hike you might think we're crazy for doing something like this, and I would agree with you. Neither Katie nor I thought this would be a double-digit hike (This is now the 3rd hike we've done over 10 miles), and we didn't think this would be as much elevation as it ended up being (multiple online resources suggested this would be around 1,600 feet of elevation gain, not 2,200). But the views were absolutely stunning at Black Lake and made the pain of hiking there and back worth it. We didn't see very many people during the hike, but the best part was that we had Black Lake all to ourselves.
It was windy during most of the hike, but neither of the lakes we visited were that breezy. That was great luck since most of the time the lakes are windier than the trails themselves, but I wasn't going to question what black magic sorcery made the lakes absent of wind.
We've done a couple of hard hikes in a row now, so I think next week we'll take it easy. There aren't many more hiking days between now and the end of the year, but that doesn't matter since we accomplished our hiking New Year's resolution last month.
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The Gear
We started hiking without our snowshoes but quickly put them on. We didn't really need them to prevent sinking down until after the first lake, but they provide necessary traction.
The Mummy's
We got exceptional views of the mummy range on this hike.
Setting Moon
The moon was just a small sliver above the mountains.
Frozen Wood
At the outlet of the lake there were a bunch of frozen pieces of wood.
Mills Lake
We got to Mills Lake before the sun poked out behind the thick blanket of clouds in the sky. The lighting was changing quick and because of teh clouds it gives the photo an Eerily feel to it.
No Snow
Since it hadn't snowed in over a week, the snow had all blown off the lake.
Arrowhead
Arrowhead Mountain was a unique mountain that was in sight between Mills Lake and Black Lake.
Towering Tall
Arrowhead Mountain was at the base of Black Lake. Even before we got to the lake the mountain was in sight.
Black Lake
We got to Black Lake and were immediately stunned with how gorgeous and peaceful it was. With the lake all to ourselves and it not being windy, we stayed for a while to rest before heading back down.
Resting
We stayed for a little bit to rest on the lake. Since it wasn't windy - a rarity at alpine lakes - we sat to enjoy the view.
Chilling on the Beach
We sat at the edge of the lake (or maybe in it?) and took in the sights.
Blue Ice
The are water features everywhere around the lake, including this incredibly blue ice.