Hike to Phelps Lake

Our first hike of the season was made yesterday. It was a fairly easy one and one of our favorites - Phelps Lake.  Our hike was to the edge of the lake and back, hiking two different trails from the start, both originating at the Rockefeller Preserve building. The total distance for the hike we took was just about 5 miles, through some beautiful forest and along the fast-moving creek that was runoff from the Lake. Here are some of the photos that we took along the trail:

Starting with the shot taken just as we began the hike:

The trail to the lake was winding through the forest, in and out of the view of the rapidly flowing water in the creek:

And through the forest we go:

There was one huge clearing not far from the lake with a nice view of the mountains:

And then, finally, the Lake:

When we arrived at the lake, it became very windy and cold. It must have dropped 20 degrees as we saw a storm front moving in. We brought some lunch with us to eat by the lake but it was too cold and windy so we headed back on the second trail.

Josie took several shots of some of the wildflowers that were just now starting to pop through the ground as the snow was melting. First is a shot of some of the remaining snow:

Then, some small wildflowers struggling to grow:

The wildflowers will be spectacular in about one or two weeks as the weather warms.

It was a terrific start to our hiking season and we will be planning many others during the summer...