Picture of the week - Chain lakes trail

Excelsior Pass via Damfino lakes Trailblazer hike

The scheduled hike this week for our Trailblazer group was Excelsior Pass via Damfino lakes, I was interested in this one particularly because the Canyon Creek road had been closed for quite awhile. This would be the first time I'd be on it since it opened at the end of last years hiking season. 

I liked the following picture because of the reflection of the hikers in the water :-)

Ed posing with our only snow of the day.

As you can see, there was a light fog hanging around,

The Lupine, Heather, Paintbrush and many other flowers were still in bloom in the meadows,

after the meadow we headed up to find a spot for lunch.

A perfect spot for lunch. 

A few of us walked on a bit and enjoyed the flowers.

Time to head down. 

The clouds parted a bit so we could see a patch of blue.

Then back down in to the fog.

Something "I" found interesting, the lid on the outhouse toilet had a lovely metal leaf ornament screwed into it. Such a lovely thing to find in a usually non interesting atmosphere. I would like to thank whoever put it there, it brought a smile to my face. Couldn't have asked for a more fun way to start the hike!

Endomondo stats:

Total miles hiked - 6.8

Min. altitude - 4214 feet

Max. altitude - 5467 feet

Total ascent - 1703 feet

Total descent 1673