Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake - August 8, 2003

Crystal Lake is one of the many lakes in the Mammoth Lake area. One must hike out to the lake from another lake (I forget which one). The hike out is about 2 miles and is uphill. And I don't mean a gradual, rolling, gently inclining uphill. I mean some significant elevation change. And 2 miles uphill at 8,000 feet takes a lot out of a person, let me tell you. It took me what seemed like a very long time to get there. Lots of stopping, drinking of water, wondering if I was ever going to make it.

One plus about the hike was that it was well shaded. Lots of trees providing cover from the sun. Once I reached the summit of whatever hill I was climbing up, there was a short downhill to the actual lake itself. I took several pictures, but none were really stunning. The one above was the best. I, of course, took another rest at the lake. Took my shoes off, put my hot feet in the very cold water, ate some lunch, drank some more water. And watched the carpenter ants climb all over some nearby rocks.

The hike back, being pretty much downhill, took no time at all. Well, of course it did, but compared to the hike to the lake, it was much shorter in duration. I felt no need to rest, no need to drink any more water.