The weather forecast for our hike was highs in the low 80’s and lows in the low 60’s. Fortunately it turned out to be a little cooler than that. We arrived at the Crater Creek parking lot at about 11:30 and were quickly on the trail to Upper Eagle Lake. The first day’s hike consisted of 6.4 miles and a 2400 ft. elevation gain.

When we arrived at the lake, we found to our delight that we were the only people there. It was a little early for the larches to change color, but the weather and temperature were perfect. A quick dip in the lake and dinner wrapped up day one. Campfires were not allowed, but we had a great time getting to know each other around the fire pit (AKA- kitchen area) and shared stories of previous outdoor adventures we had experienced. For some of us, this hike was the first time we had met.

The next day we hiked to Cooney Lake, and once again we were the only people there. The strenuous hike and warm temperatures dictated another lake swim before dinner. Everyone was awakened around 12:30 that night by a sudden rainstorm, but it was short lived and everything was pretty much dry the next morning. On the final day we got up early and hiked back to the parking lot. Fortunately, the last days hike was mostly downhill. For the three days of hiking we covered around 24 miles and approximately 5,000-foot elevation gain. We had four people on this hike, Steve Ghan (trip leader), Ghislaine Joly, Victoria Purkey, and Chuck Wielang (trip leader in training), all IMAC members.

Note: the planned trip differed from the actual trip in the fact that the south end of the loop trail was closed due to fire danger.