Before heading home after our members’ meeting, I always try to work in a hike. Despite my not being prepared for wind chill in the thirties, I decided to bear the cold and hike anyway. Frostbite is overrated.
I explored the lakes scattered around the region of the Sierra Crest from Mt. Conness to Gaylor Peak. As long as the wind didn’t blow (which was not often), I was relatively warm, but I didn’t mind the discomfort as the more spectacular the scenery got, the easier it was to dismiss the longing for gloves. My tour of the lakes included Shell, Fantail, Spuller, Maul, Green Treble and Alpine. At Maul Lake, under the watchful face of Mt. Conness, I watched Clark’s nutcrackers play, and a raptor soar overhead.
On my way back to the car, I stopped at the historic cabins of Bennettville, relics of the brief mining boom in this area.