Got together with some old friends from college last week and had a great out-and-back trip into the Willow Lakes basin of Eagles Nest Wilderness, a few miles outside Silverthorne, CO.
The biggest success of this trip was getting 3 guys who are relatively un-obsessed with backpacking, down to pretty decent (or even admirable) base weights, and having a solid trip with a challenging climb.
Very pleased with how photos from my Lumix LX-7 turned out. Take a look:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10107854476932140.1073741837.7905261&type=1&l=75cb2f3e79
We started at the Rock Creek trailhead, went south along the Gore Range Trail, and turned west to head up into the lake basin. Ended up at Salmon Lake but that was no good for campsites, so we scrambled over the divide into the Willow Lakes basin next door, and found much better pickings. After a first day climb of about ~9 miles we settled into a pristine spot in the center of the valley, with impressive views and easy access to water. Stayed there for the next 3 nights. Day hiked, fished, hung out in the hammock, threw the frisbee, sat around the fire. The most-adventurous of my companions and I scrambled to the top of an unnamed peak, just below Red Peak, near the headwall of the basin.
