Blue Lake

Brainard Lake, Mitchell Trailhead

Hiking Buddy/Boyfriend: Matt

Wildlife: Birds and Bugs

Mileage: 3 miles/6 miles roundtrip

We left pretty early and were able to snag a parking spot fairly close to the trailhead.  It was the perfect Colorado day: warm sunshine with a cool breeze.

Getting to the lake, like a lot of places in Colorado, is was pretty much all uphill.

The first two miles are filled with lakes, tributaries, and woods.  There are at least two major lakes in the beginning followed by several small ponds and rivers as you ascend the trail.

It’s beautiful.  Towering over all of this nature is 360* of mountain peaks.  It’s like being in the Sound of Music…except I can’t sing, am not a nun in training, and would probably fall down if I tried to spin around in a field.

The only wildlife we saw for the day were birds and bugs.  I’ll take it.

Once you get above the tree line, it becomes a completely different world.  All at once you are walking on flat rocks on a very narrow trail.. wait are we still on the trail? maybe that’s it over there? Just follow those people..

And then, like it was just waiting for you, it appeared.  A stunning wall of snow capped Rocky Mountains and beneath them, a very very blue lake.  Whoever named it knew what they were talking about.  It was the type of stunning you just wanted to yell at.. if that makes sense.  I did not actually yell as there were a lot of people around, and it was a pretty serene atmosphere.

Just as we got there, as if on cue, a very agitated group of storm clouds rolled in.  We ate lunch and checked out the area as long as we could, then headed down before the storm blew in.  The way down was just as rewarding.  By the time we got to the car we were beat.  It was the type of tired you earned.

I loved this hike.