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| Hiking | 3.20 Miles |
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| | Hiking | 3.20 Miles | | | |
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| no partners | | Our hike destination was originally Eccles Pass, or at least as close as we could get to it. Someone at the karaoke bar the night before had told me that he'd been all over the world, and Eccles Pass was the most beautiful place he'd ever been to. I was pretty sure he'd never been to Monte Cristo Gulch just down the road, but figured it would be worth it to check out a new destination instead, so I gathered up my dad and a couple other family members and headed to the nearby trailhead.
We started out, and within ten minutes were visiting with some returning hikers. We asked them what all was up that way, and were informed of the Lily Pad lakes. I was excited. I'd never seen a lily pad before, and now there was a whole lake nearby covered in them! We hiked on up that way, crossing a stream and several flower-filled meadows. The views were beautiful, as is expected up in that country. Eventually we reached the first of our destinations: an idyllic lake that was quite peaceful despite the number of people collected around it. We stopped there for a short while, enjoying the presence of several silly dogs splashing around in the water, then moved on to the second lake. We'd been told that the first lake was "okay," so couldn't wait to see the second one. I could hardly believe it when I rounded the corner and realized that the greenery I was staring at wasn't mere meadow grass, but a lush expanse of lily pads covering the lake surface! Each of us exclaimed quietly as we approached, not sure where to begin. We wandered about along the shore for a little while, taking it all in. It's really quite something to see. Again, all the visitors were very peaceful, quietly enjoying the scenery. We lingered for some time, then headed back down the trail to the car. I'd suggest this trail as one of those that would be good for a first day in the mountains, to acclimate to the altitude while still visiting a worthwhile little destination. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
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