Native Lake Trail

Today was another day of acclimating to altitude, this time on the Native Lake Trail, another gateway into the Mt. Massive Wilderness.



This trail was rated intermediate, with an elevation gain of 1200 feet the first 3 miles, at which point we savored the views and then returned to do a hike on a neighboring mountainside.





Ellen gets a photo of a very large red mushroom with white spots like measle markings.



Don't let the smiles fool you -- they are just for the camera. When you are doing strenuous exertion at 12,000 feet, you are sucking air a lot more than you are smiling, though the vistas are a payoff that makes the effort worthwhile.