Was finally able to get a weekend freed up and get some dirt time in. The stepson and I took a quick hike up to a little lake nestled in a small valley. Short hike, only 5kms, but not very well known. Not another soul was seen, which was just the way I like it 
Lots of firsts for me on this trip. First time going to this lake. First time bringing my dog with me on an overnighter. First time using a hammock to sleep in. And, most importantly, first time using my Machax since I'd received it for Christmas.
Anyways, enough with the rambling, on to the pics:
Trailhead:
Kinda lost the trail at the beginning and ended up slogging thru some marshy meadows.
Got up to the trees and picked up the trail again. Made good time up to the low pass and into the valley where it drops into Gap Lake. Found a cleared campsite, and set up camp.
First on the to do list was to make some pegs for the tarps:
Think we ended up with 8. No problemo. Camp setup:
Hudson making friends with the locals:
Tools brought (minus my folding saw in my pack):
The afternoon brought a string of thundershowers thru the valley. Maybe 4 or 5 cells. Didn't last very long - maybe 20 mins per storm - so we hunkered down under the trees to wait them out, and watched and listened to the show.
Evening finally brought out the sun.
The 4 batonned thru some gnarly pine with ease. Fire prep was a piece of cake.
Random flora:
Hudson enjoying an evening dip and the sunset.
A little bit of fishing in the morning, but no joy. I think the combination of cooler temps and thunderstorms put them down.
Packed up in the afternoon and headed home. Felt good to get out, knock the rust off my hiking muscles, and knock the new off the BK4. Was starting to get the hang of snap cuts at the end. Can't wait to bring it out next time. Thanks for looking!
Lots of firsts for me on this trip. First time going to this lake. First time bringing my dog with me on an overnighter. First time using a hammock to sleep in. And, most importantly, first time using my Machax since I'd received it for Christmas.
Anyways, enough with the rambling, on to the pics:
Trailhead:
Kinda lost the trail at the beginning and ended up slogging thru some marshy meadows.
Got up to the trees and picked up the trail again. Made good time up to the low pass and into the valley where it drops into Gap Lake. Found a cleared campsite, and set up camp.
First on the to do list was to make some pegs for the tarps:
Think we ended up with 8. No problemo. Camp setup:
Hudson making friends with the locals:
Tools brought (minus my folding saw in my pack):
The afternoon brought a string of thundershowers thru the valley. Maybe 4 or 5 cells. Didn't last very long - maybe 20 mins per storm - so we hunkered down under the trees to wait them out, and watched and listened to the show.
Evening finally brought out the sun.
The 4 batonned thru some gnarly pine with ease. Fire prep was a piece of cake.
Random flora:
Hudson enjoying an evening dip and the sunset.
A little bit of fishing in the morning, but no joy. I think the combination of cooler temps and thunderstorms put them down.
Packed up in the afternoon and headed home. Felt good to get out, knock the rust off my hiking muscles, and knock the new off the BK4. Was starting to get the hang of snap cuts at the end. Can't wait to bring it out next time. Thanks for looking!
