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| The aspens are glowing . . . and we're just starting down the trail! |
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| The trail (at times) appeared to be an old road . . . Possibly the one they used to construct the dam, for Blind Lake, in the early 1900's |
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| It took us about 30 minutes to reach Blind Lake (10,240 ft) . . . it's stunning! |
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| We spotted this Osprey high up on a snag . . . It wasn't until we downloaded this picture that we saw he was snacking on his prize fish . . . Possibly the one Kent was trying to catch! Ha! |
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| We were really surprised to see Kokanee salmon . . . They change from silver to red before spawning |
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| The perfect Christmas tree surrounded by a hillside of orange glowing aspens . . . After spending some time fishing and soaking in the beauty of Blind Lake, it was time to continue on down the trail to some other mountain lakes |
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| The trail skirted by Pear Lake . . . we didn't stop to fish (We had read that this was a shallow "dead lake" that occasionally goes dry) |
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| The "road" became more of a trail after Blind Lake |
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| After another mile hike we came to pretty Beaver Dam Reservoir . . . If you want to test your vehicle's 4WD capability you can drive (crawl) here from the Fish Creek Trailhead . . . There were a few people fishing and seeming to have good luck on this small lake |
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| We continued on down the road for a quarter mile heading for Fish Creek Lake |
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| Fish Creek Lake was our turnaround point . . . After making a few attempts to lure in some nice brookies, we decided to head back for the solitude of Blind Lake and then head for Fish Creek later in the afternoon |
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| Here's the size of trout you can expect to find in these pretty lakes . . . Although, we've heard many fishermen tell us there are Arctic Grayling in the waters of Blind Lake |
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| Back to the tranquil water of Blind Lake . . . we had it all to ourselves! |
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| The Osprey was still sitting high on the snag . . . the fish was no more! |
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| Kent tried a few more casts . . . no fish . . . he'll settle for some great memories |
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| The leaves were fluttering to the ground as we passed by . . . A gentle breeze sets the leaves in motion and the sound can be described as whispering, rustling or rain |
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| Looking east toward the Henry Mountains (11,522 ft) . . . Capitol Reef NP lies between us and them . . . We hiked Mt. Ellen & Ellen Peak in 2015 |
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| This engraving caught Allison's eye . . . we better stop and see if it's true! |
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| Kent is giving Fish Creek a try . . . It flows out of Fish Creek Lake and Beaver Dam Reservoir a few miles upstream (We both caught lots of small brookies, but most were only in the 6-inch range) |
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| As we came down off Boulder Mountain we were treated to a beautiful view of Thousand Lake Mountain (11,300 ft) . . . we really need to do this one sometime! |
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| After a good night's rest, at Singletree Campground, we arose to this beautiful sunrise (That's Ellen Peak - 11,520 ft - blocking the sun from coming up) |
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| Here's an aerial view of our route, starting from the Blind Lake Trailhead (lower right of picture) . . . From the trailhead to Blind Lake was a little over a mile with about 450 ft of elevation gain . . . Blind Lake was the highest point along the trail at an elevation of 10,240 ft. (Click on the picture for an enlarged view) |
What a great day! The weather was perfect and the aspens were in their prime . . . what more could you ask for? Okay, maybe that the trout were a little more hungry! If you're interested in doing this hike it's about 6.5 miles r/t (closer to 7 miles if you hike around Blind Lake). Road Trip Ryan has provided directions, GPS tracks and coordinates, along with a map. You can click here for a link to his excellent website (it's free!).
