Source, Snow, and Gem Lakes

On Monday July 3rd, 2023, Mike was having one of his worst days at work since joining Microsoft nine years ago.  He had been spending weeks trying to debug a design he inherited, and progress was slow.  Working six days a week, as long as 12-14 hours a day while watching the project schedule erode was taking an emotional toll.  Monday was particularly trying for its dead-end paths, wandering in circles, and general mud stuckedness (if that's even a word.)  Adding insult to injury was the fact that it was a long weekend for most concluding with Independence Day on Tuesday, and while many were enjoying festive celebrations, Mike was having none of it because of the stress at work.  What he wanted (needed?) most was a long hike in the mountains during some epic summer weather.

And then, a tender mercy occurred.  Around 6pm on Monday night, Mike had finally figured out the root cause for the bug he had been troubleshooting, and all tests indicated that he was definitely on the right track.  That meant that he would have an opportunity to take that hike after all.  And what better itinerary than a trip to Alpine Lakes Wilderness to bag three lakes he had never seen before: Source, Snow, and Gem Lakes.  The 13-mile hike with its 3500 feet of ascent may have been physically challenging, but it was great for the soul.

The beauty of the area is not to be denied as evidenced by the photos and videos that he took.  Unfortunately, Mike left the SD Card for his GoPro at home, so all footage was with the cell phone, but fortunately, the area was photogenic enough to take great pictures all by itself.

Snow Lake

Gem Lake

There were a handful of wildflowers captured with varying quality on Mike's cell phone.  (He really needs to figure out how to get his phone's macro mode to work better.)  With Suzanne's help, they identified the following flowers:

• Lewis Monkeyflower
• Fivefinger Cinquefoil
• Thimbleberry
• Dwarf Bramble
• Sitka Mountain-Ash
• Mountain Meadow-Sweet
• Red Columbine
• Pink Mountain Heather
• Bear Grass
• Pacific Bleeding Heart

GPS Info

Here is the data from the GPS unit:

Maps

This Leaflet Map is provided by GPS Visualizer

Elevation Profile

This profile is provided by GPS Visualizer

Coordinates and other details

Mileage:	12.9 Miles
Elevation	3555 Feet
Time:	9:17:40 (total), 6:47:38 (moving)
Average Speed:	1.39 MPH (total), 1.90 MPH (moving)
Trailhead Coordinates:	47.4444, -121.4231

The GPX file can be downloaded here.

Photos and Videos

Photos are available at this album, while a YouTube video is available here.