Since the area we were backpacking was very rugged with fabulous scenery, it was a disappointment to not capture it on film. The trail to Fern Lake followed a classic mountain stream called the Big Thompson River. This fantastic river would cool the air around us as we hiked, and the roar of its rapids was music to our ears. After about a 3 hour, 4.5 mile hike we arrived at Fern Lake. After setting up our campsite, Kathy and I went for a dip in Fern Lake.
Fern Lake is a true glacial lake that feeds the Big Thompson River.
I howled like a monkey. After the initial shock, we toweled off, feeling as refreshed as humanly possible. We used Fern Lake as our base camp and went for some fantastic day hikes the next 2 days. The killer was a 14.5 mile high elevation hike. After 3 nights and 4 days of backpacking, I felt physically and mentally refreshed as we hiked to our car at the trailhead.