Thursday, April 10, 2014

Searching for Cecret Lake

I know exactly how to find Cecret Lake in the summer!  Add 116 inches of snow depth and my favorite little lake gets swallowed up by Alta Ski Resort.  Cecret Lake sets at the base of Devil's Castle and Sugarloaf Peak - I know the landmarks well but getting to the lake yesterday proved to be a bit of a problem.
The plan was to follow the machine groomed cat tracks which we believed would lead straight to Cecret Lake, but there were too many cat tracks to choose from. And they all appeared to go towards our destination plus we needed to steer clear of the ski runs as much as possible.  We were wearing microspikes and yaktraks and carried missile sleds on our backpacks for a quick descent. (These sleds were so much fun!)  We probably could have used snowshoes on this hike.  Even though we didn't make it to Cecret Lake it was a beautiful day for hiking in the mountains and I got to explore Alta Ski Resort.  Our hike totaled 4.8 miles.
Heading towards Devil's Castle
Should have just followed the ski lift!  I'll hike this again with snowshoes.

Devil's Castle but no Cecret Lake.
Missile sleds away!  Last one to the bottom is a rotten egg! - Just having fun like a couple of kids!
 
These missile sleds were lightweight and with a couple of bungie cords attached to the backpack very easily.

 
I love the majestic views of Little Cottonwood Canyon
I found a wonderful hiking group to join called "Hike the Wasatch".  The group organizer plans weekly hikes all over the beautiful Wasatch mountains and beyond!  For a long time I resisted joining hiking groups because I mistakenly thought a group of people would ruin my hiking experience - not this group!  Here are a few of the benefits I discovered from hiking with this group.
  1. Learn new hiking techniques from experienced hikers.
  2. Learn about new hiking gear.
  3. Learn about new trails.
  4. Be inspired by what other hikers have accomplished.
  5. Share your passion for the outdoors with others.
 


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******Miles hiked tally
beginning March 22, 2013
Beginning of this Blog


251.2