Mirror Lake

The Mirror Lake hike was a lake extravaganza! Not only did I see Mirror Lake itself, there were two other pretty lakes along this hike as well as water and snow crossings, a waterfall, and a great group of hikers to enjoy it all with. 

Before we hit Mirror Lake, which was about two miles into our hike, we reached the smaller Cottonwood Lake. It was nice to reach a pretty view so quickly into a hike, but there were lots of mosquitoes buzzing around. If you choose to hike here in the warmer summer months definitely bring bug spray. 

Cottonwood Lake

After a short break to take the requisite pictures and enjoy the view we were off. As we neared Mirror Lake there still some snow on the ground to cross. Having trekking poles puts my mind at ease that I'm not going to fall flat on my face or butt, and the snow cooled me off as we hiked further on. It was like Christmas in summer with the snow crunching under our feet. 

People were camping in small groups at different points of our hike. There were actually a few guys and their pup camping right down by the lake, but they were nice enough to let us walk through their campsite to take pictures.

Ta-da! We enjoyed the view at Mirror Lake and chatted with the campers for a bit, and then my fellow hikers and I moved on in search of a lunch spot. It didn't take us long before we found a pretty area with a stream and small waterfall. 

I ventured a bit lower down as my hiking buddies were finishing up their lunches, and found a spot where the stream cascaded down like a beautiful curtain of water. Sometimes I see things that are so beautiful and poignant to me on my hikes that I'm really happy to have this blog to share them with other people. I hope my pictures also encourage others to go on some of my hikes and adventures themselves, because there really is nothing like seeing these awesome feats of nature in person.

There were a lot of beautiful wildflowers along the trail, and of course I couldn't help but stop and take some snaps of my beloved Bear Grass (Xerophyllum tenax if you want to get fancy).

Our hike took us along the Pacific Crest Trail, and my group and I joked whether we wanted to continue on to either Canada or Mexico. Sorry Canadian cousins, but my vote this time would be for Mexico! We continued on our hike to our turn-around spot, the tucked away Twilight Lake. 

It was a bit marshy trekking over to the lake, but luckily we haven't seen a lot of rain this summer so it wasn't too soggy. There was small flat area in the center that we stopped at for photos, and one of my fellow hikers had brought her pup as you can see in the picture below. Doggy energy is so contagious! It was a blast watching her dog swim in the lake, run out, and wriggle around in the grass in such obvious pleasure.

After a short break at Twilight Lake we headed back. Back over the stream with it's beautiful cascading water, back for one more glimpse of Mirror Lake, once again over crunchy snow-covered fields. This was a relaxing, perfect way to end the weekend.

I love the way I feel after my hikes, whether they're laid-back or more challenging. I'm recharged and ready to start my week, which will hopefully end with another hike!