Today we hiked the Avalanche Trail to Avalanche Lake. The hike was 5.6 miles round trip from our parking spot and mostly uphill on the way out to the lake. It was a gradual climb, but there were several spots where we had to stop and suck in some oxygen. This is a popular trail and there were plenty of other people along the way to act as decoys for any bear encounter although we had our bear spray with us just in case. The hike was definitely worth the effort. The lake is surrounded by steep mountains and the water is crystal clear. The pictures don’t do it justice. There are quite a few log benches all along the lake shore and we used one to sit down, enjoy the scenery, and eat the lunch Beth packed.
The trip back to the car was much less exhausting since it was mostly downhill, but eventually quite painful on our toes as it felt like they were constantly rammed against the front of our hiking boots. We were pretty tuckered when we got back to the campground so Beth heated up some leftover chili and we crashed in the camper for the evening.
Avalanche Lake 
Avalanche Trail 
Avalanche Trail