Day 2
7.1 miles 1407ft gain/2517ft loss. The morning light proves to be good for picture taking, highlighting Mt. Roosevelt and the sawtoothed ridge line. Stowing gear, I make my way back down the faint trail to Lower Wildcat, then back up the steep switchbacks to Gem Lake. Again, the morning light proves to be wonderful for taking pictures of the lake and surrounding mountains, so I give my cameras a good workout.
It’s now Saturday, and as I head down from the heights of Gem Lake, I begin to run into people. Lots of people, and most in groups of 3 to 5 it seems like. The dayhikers you see first, since they’re travelling light, and then more and more backpackers, straining under their heavier loads. They keep asking about Gem Lake, and if there are still places to camp.
….That’s a long way to hike to get blown out, simply because there’s no where left to stay…Amazing!
It’s easy to tell the first groups that there shouldn’t be a problem, but after a while I lose count, and try to not be too disappointing, however, I’m thinking that there will be those that are going to have a difficult time finding a place to pitch a tent, especially some of the larger groups….That’s a long way to hike to get blown out, simply because there’s no where left to stay…Amazing! I’m glad that I chose to come in on Friday…
By the time I reach Snow Lake again, the trails are thick with day hikers, I mean hordes of people! It’s astounding to me just how many people there are! After reaching the far side of the lake, and starting up to the saddle, I feel that I’ve passed about 200 people!
…it’s a common courtesy to yield to the traveler heading uphill…Seems that for the most part, the day hiker crowd fall into the mentality of travelling a city sidewalk….
One small complaint here…If you’re heading uphill, (which I was), and carrying an obviously heavier load, (which I was), it’s a common courtesy to yield to the traveler heading uphill…Seems that for the most part, the day hiker crowd fall into the mentality of travelling a city sidewalk….5 hours later, from my lakeside camp, I’ve made it back to the car and the now filled to capacity parking lot. It feels good to shed the gear, and find the nearest burger joint to satisfy that craving for a post hike burger fest.
It was a great hike, filled with inspiring sights, and big views and Gem Lake in itself would be a worthy overnight hike, especially if you used it for a base camp to explore some of the trails that lead towards the peaks to the west. Just make sure you get there early, to secure a spot, and I would heartily recommend going during the week…
Also, I would imagine that someday soon, they are going to have to do something about the crowds that head there, for there are trails running all over the place that will eventually meld into one, turning the area into barren dirt, instead of grassy meadows. A beautiful hike in close, that does well to represent the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area.