9/29/11
Bummer! It was our last full day but we had planned a great day of hiking. We set out about 7:30 on a hike that would take us to three lakes in a row. Our first stop was Nymph Lake. The blanket of lily pads made it a fairy tale scene. A half mile up was Dream Lake. Across the lake was an incredible view of several mountain peaks. I guess that’s what makes it “dreamy.” Ancient Bristlecone Pines make the scene especially picturesque. We met a nice couple who retired to the area from Louisiana. Their retired life centered around hiking and photography–and staying indoors during the snowy winter. It sounded quite nice to me but Howard wasn’t convinced that Colorado could be our retirement state. (I’ve also tried to convince him that Utah would be a scenic retirement home to no avail.)
The last stop up the trail was Emerald Lake. Another incredible glacier-carved lake ringed by mountain peaks. The best sight at this destination was the birds. A sweet white crowned sparrow flitted around the boulders lining the lake. And there were water ouzels! They are sweet little black birds that actually “fly” under water. They dive in and use their wings like they are flying underwater to search out bugs and such. Howard took a lot of pictures of the entertaining water ouzels.
We had already planned to hike to one other lake on that last day. So we hiked down the mountain and then up again to Lake Haiyaha.