Lovers Camp to Summit Lake

This weekend Alex and I went on a backpacking trip with Laura and Justin. It was quite a memorable trip! We had quite the adventure just on the drive up to the campsite - we saw a bear, a cougar, a fox, and a deer all within a fifteen minute span of the road.

We camped the first night in Lovers Camp right next to our car. Then early the next morning we headed out to the sound of a woodland flautist, who was subsequently drowned out by some kids and their Queen.

That day's hike was amazing. We climbed thousands of feet, crossed several creeks, and covered a short portion of the PCT. We camped that night at Summit Lake, aka mosquito paradise. (As a side note, we learned that mosquitoes can get you through long sleeve shirts but not fleeces.) To hide from the mosquitoes we all crammed into Laura and Justin's new tent and played "Would you rather..." until the sun went down.

Would you rather wake up in a tent with ants in your ears and nose or with another camper's (Alex's?) toe in your mouth?

Would you rather be able to communicate with all animals or understand all of the world's languages?

Would you rather share your bedroom with an elk or share your bathroom with someone with serious skin diseases?

The next day we hiked back to Lovers Camp through Red Rocks. The highlight was seeing a bear just off the trail. Justin had been searching all weekend for a bear, and when he finally saw one, he calmly said, "I don't want to startle you guys, but there's a bear just over there."

Mmmm... Plants.

The lowlight (for me) was the final creek crossing. The water was deep enough for us to need to wade across barefoot. There was one spot just before the half way point where the flow was really strong. For some reason the power of water still causes me to panic too quickly, and Alex had to come and help me across. Deep breaths and baby steps...

Thankfully Justin had enough caffeine to get us home safely, since the rest of us spent the whole ride home fighting sleep. I would say it was a wonderful weekend, and we all arrived home very happy.