red pine lake revisited

One of the first hikes we did when we moved to Utah was up to Red Pine Lake.  We picked it as a recent weekend hike because it's mostly shaded and, with the late start we'd gotten, shade was going to be important under the Utah August sun.  Also, that hike kicked my butt the first time and I have wanted to go back and see if it would do the same now that I've acclimated and gotten my hiking legs under me.  Verdict: I need to spend more time on the stairclimber at the gym, apparently.

H on the shore of lower Red Pine Lake

It's about a 7-mile round trip, with the trailhead elevation around 7,700 feet, lower Red Pine Lake at around 9,650 feet and the upper lake at 10,000 feet.  The trail is rocky - something I need to remember about both the Red Pine Lake hike and the White Pine Lake hike: gorgeous lakes but tough on the ol' footsies - and pretty steep in places, especially between the lower and upper lakes.  The first time we did it, in November 2009, there was a ton of snow, so much so that we were post-holing, and I remember taking two steps, then pausing to breathe, then taking another couple of steps.  It wasn't nearly so bad this time (snow fields in the bowls but not really any to walk on) but I was still puffing pretty hard by the time we reached the upper lake.

The upper lake is just up above that

higher clump of trees, below the ridge

These glacial-blue alpine lakes are so beautiful, nestled down in their rocky (quartz monzonite, up there around the upper lake) bowls.  We didn't see much wildlife - a woodpecker and one pika - but heard from various other hikers that the fishing had been quite good, particularly in the lower lake.  The flowers were incredible too, a little late this year due to the late snow and probably just at or about peak right now.

Lupines and ... yellow ones