We set out for our day hike with lunches packed and gaiters and snow gear tucked away into our day packs. The first part of the hike around Phelps Lakes was beautiful! Well the whole hike was beautiful but the lake was also a pretty easy hike compared to the rest... but I'll get into that later.
We stopped at a few places around the lake with some awesome views. I this picture I was still really excited and had no idea what I was in for. As we had been advised by the rangers, we kept a can of bear spray close at hand, and I'm starting to realize I'm just visiting the homes of all different kinds of animals. On this hike alone i saw at least three marmots, and they looked at me like I was an invasive species.
After a couple of miles we had made it halfway around the lake and stopped to eat our lunch. Well, actually I would more acurately describe it as devouring our lunches. You would think I might get tired of eating the same kind of sandwIch every day for lunch, but nope, I am just as excited every day around 12:30 to inhale my hummus, turkey/ham, and pepper jack cheese sandwhich, and munch on carrots and an apple or granola bar.
There was, of course, a photo shoot.
And after we ate and relaxed a bit, we headed up on a different trail called Death Canyon.
As we climbed higher and higher up the canyon, the dirt trail turned snowy. At the top there was yet another snowball fight. I call it the top, but really we couldn't get all the way up to the top becuause there had been a couple avalanches and the debris was covering the path making it impassable without shoe spikes. When we came back down the canyon we headed towards the other side of the lake to finish the trek, but because of the snow and fallen trees we got thrown off the trail into a wetland aread by the lake. It seemed as though every way we went was met with a deep and wide rushing river. After a head-clearing rest and water bottle refill using Dr. Ranson's hand pump water filter, we finally found the snowy trail that would take us the last couple of miles back to the trailhead. Eight hours after our 10am start time, we were exhausted and starving. But I felt pretty badass, I have to be honest. Like we made our own trail and fought off dehydration, mosquitos, and bears.... Kind of.
As a consolation and reward for the tough day the professors bought us ice cream! It was also probably to keep our mouths too busy to complain. We got back to camp and I felt so gross I had to wash up somehow. I washed my hair and body outside in the cold under a spicket a foot off the ground. The water was so cold I felt like I was getting acupuncture treatments. My cooking group made stir fry for dinner and then we all dragged our hurting feet to bed.
Climbing up towards Death Canyon, with Phelps Lake in the background.
A selfie with Dr. Garihan and a waterfall
Dr. Ranson, Phoebe, and Elly climbing a tree in the snowy area where the avalanch debris capped off our hike.
The view from the top.
Elly and Dr. Garihan using the water filter pump in the mountain stream. The water tasted so fresh!
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