August 8th, 2024
Mile Marker: Seneca Lake Trail
Miles Hiked: 17
Where to even start. Today was incredible!!😱
We started waking up around 6:20 AM and decided we would do breakfast in bed. It was chilly this morning and thankfully there was no condensation. We took our time making breakfast and rolled out at 7:30. The first part of the day had a big climb; majority of the day was going to be up and down at high altitudes.
I was so thrilled to be hiking out with my partner and friends behind me. Today was going to be a good day.
As we were hiking up our first climb we were in awe of the big mountains around us and the stunning views after we got out of the trees.
We had decided early on that we would skip the Knapsac alternate since there was a chance of thunderstorm and it would take us way longer than the time we had allotted. The redline would work great; we felt like any route we took would be beautiful.
Once on top of our first climb we leveled out and crossed greenery and beautiful lakes.
The mountains were massive and grand. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like this, it was just spectacular.
We also didn’t run into many people the whole morning. It was nice to feel like it was just us out here in the backcountry.
We kept a good pace, slower than Journey and I typically hiked but we were so appreciative of this. I actually had time to slow down, take in the views while walking and not trip on a rock.
Today I took the most pictures of any day partially because it was so beautiful but also because I didn’t feel any sort of time pressure or need to put miles in.
Most of the mountains were also surrounded by lakes which gave beautiful reflections of the mountains near them.
Journey also noticed this flower and when he checked his app for the name of it, he saw it was named elephant’s head lousewort… can you see the elephant??
Around noon we stopped at what felt like the middle of the main alpine track we were on. It was a gorgeous spot next to a creek and lake and the sun was shining but we didn’t feel too hot. It was a great stop.
Tia also noticed some blisters starting so we took time to try and patch them up. Always take care of a hot spot as soon as you feel it!
We continued on after a long break and continued with the amazing views. I couldn’t get enough of it. I already am putting this area on my list to come back to to explore.
We started seeing more weekend/vacationers in this area. A few who seemed to have a base camp elsewhere but were out for a day hike. How fun.
The views were fantastic all day and I’m struggling to only post a certain amount.
We spent the day catching up or talking about this or that and some of the time all just quiet taking it all in.
Once again, it’s such a fascinating experience getting to experience this together. Tia has now section hiked, triple crowned each of these trails as she has come out to each one to do a part with me. So sweet and such a good friend she is and always will be. Love you girl!
Around 6 we made it to the Seneca Lake trail junction and decided we would continue on it until we found a spot to camp. This proved to take us a little bit longer than expected but after a mile or so Journey found an excellent spot in some rocks high above Seneca Lake.
We made it to camp a little after 7 which was the perfect time.
We tried our best to pitch our tents but the ground is quite hard so we had to use big rocks instead which is always a process and puzzle but we made it work.
We have gorgeous views and fantastic company at dinner. I have nothing to complain about. Grady mentioned that this is a nice way to live and get away for 5 months and I am starting to agree.
Although the first part took a while to find our groove, I think these coming months are going to be the best yet, where we can really get back into that freeing feeling.
There are a lot of people camped around where we are which is a bit different than we have had. It’s a strange feeling because you people can appear out of no where, it just feels a bit different with popular trails.
All in all, I still enjoy it.
Today was amazing. It’s always good to slow down and smell the roses. Something an old KU catering coworker said to me when I was hustling and bustling from job to job and class to class,
“Izzy, someday you need to stop and smell the roses.”
I shrugged it off but it hit home, here we are almost 10 years later since that comment. He was right. I spend too much of my time rushing around. Sometimes we gotta stop and slow down. Learn to enjoy where we are and what we are doing in this very moment.
Iz and Oz
Izzy + Ozzy 