CDT - Day 125 - Lena Lake
Wow, this morning was cold. The first thing I did when I woke up was put on my puffy jacket. Today was the first day on the CDT that I actually wore my puffy and gloves while hiking, and I kept them on for a few hours. I checked the forecast, and the expected high for the day was only 58°F. Up here in the mountains, it gets much colder.
We had planned to hike about 25 miles and camp near Slag-a-Melt Lake, but we only made it about 24. Two of those were bonus miles because we missed a junction and had to backtrack. There was a lot of climbing too, with more than 5,500 feet of elevation gain, much of it steep.
The climbs were beautiful, though. Parts of this section have been nicknamed the "Mini Winds," and for good reason. The mountains around here are tall, jagged, and spectacular.
By the end of the day, we decided to call it at Lena Lake, which turned out to be a beautiful and peaceful place to camp. Maybe not quite as cool as a lake named Slag-a-Melt, but I had no complaints.
My legs and feet were done. It was time for camp and dinner.