Lake Isabelle

 When you are in Colorado, a hike in the Rockies is a must do!  Kim had the day off from her teaching preparation courses, so we drove an hour and a half to do the hike to Lake Isabelle.  We parked near Brainard Lake, hiked by Long Lake, and ascended up the path to Lake Isabelle.  We started out at 10,300 feet and hiked to 10,850 feet, which left me winded numerous times.  Below is the sign at the trailhead.

This is in Boulder County, so masks were required at the trailheads and when you passed someone on the trail.  Even though it was a workday, there were lots of dogs and people hiking.  Don forgot his mask in the truck, so he had to pull his shirt over his mouth.  More COVID rules.😡  Ugh!  With the hat, sunglasses and mask I don't think anyone would have recognized me.

Kim and Ella stopped and posed by the sign.

This was taken by Long Lake, where Don waited for us.  His knee was still feeling good since the shot he had gotten last year, and he didn't want to take the chance of ruining it.  He was content while the 3 of us ambled up the path.

We passed by a beautiful field of purple lupine along the way, and of course we had to stop so I could take a picture.

Parts of the trail were smooth and level, while others were rocky.  I think Ella is part mountain goat since she jumped from rock to rock quite easily.  Having a large camera along made it more cumbersome, but Kim made sure I didn't slip.

We encountered a large field of wildflowers among the rocks and waterfall.  If you look closely, you can see Ella hiking up the path on the left side of the photo right below.  God's creations are surely breath taking!

Finally we reached our destination!  Lake Isabelle! Time to rest my sore feet and weary legs plus get in a bit of nourishment.

I got a nice pic of Kim and Ella nestled in the wildflowers as they ate part of their lunch before we headed back.

On our return, Kim noticed the patch of Columbine flowers.  This was the only group

of Columbines we saw during our hike.  I love their delicate petals.  We made it back to Long Lake by 12:45, and Don was quite hungry.  Kim had his sandwich in her backpack!  He did have a granola bar and water, so he did make it out alive. LOL

 It was drizzling as we reached the end of our hike at Brainard Lake.  Perfect timing for a perfect day!