What to do…

Friday I had a “forced” day off. It was use or lose before the end of the fiscal year so I used it. I didn’t know I still had a day to use until Wednesday and Thursday I was in training all day so I quickly planned a trip to take the dogs hiking on Friday. I choose a pretty easy hike that I was pretty sure that I would be able to manage with my leg since I haven’t really done much of anything physical since I injured it.  So the dogs and I hit the road bright and early on Friday morning.

We headed up Highway 88 to the high Sierra’s and got to the Shealor Lakes Trailhead about 9am.  It’s only about a mile and a half from the trailhead to the lake.  But because you have to go up and over a saddle, it can take a while.

Shealor Lakes is located in the Eldorado National Forest.  One of the great things about national forests is loose leash laws.  I love taking the dogs hiking but they hike at drastically different rates so that can make it a bit difficult to hike with Buster and Maggie.  They never leave my sight but Buster generally likes to stay behind me so he’s keeping any eye on me while Maggie ranges ahead to make sure the trail is free from critters.

So we went up and over.  The view from the top of the saddle is pretty amazing.  You can see Shealor Lakes and miles and miles of uninhabited wilderness.  Gorgeous.  We spent several hours just hanging around the lake.  The dogs went swimming and I waded in with them.  We ate lunch at the lake before coming back out.  Hiking out is much tougher than going in due to the steepness of the trail.  We had to stop for several water breaks for the dogs.  And for me too.  I’ll admit that the high altitude made me pant a lot.  Not to mention the fact that I was carrying all the gear and all the water for both me and the dogs.  Water is heavy in case you didn’t know.

Maggie loved letting the wind blow through her hair.  The weather was perfect, mid-60’s with huge white clouds to give us a break from the direct sun.

The wild flowers were still blooming which is a special treat since the valley is already dried out due to the drought.  I haven’t seen any wild flowers since about May.

All and all, it was a great hike with very little pain in my leg.  I think I’m ready to start running again.

Trail Name:  Shealor Lakes

Location:  Highway 88 near Silver Lake

Use:  Light on the way in in the morning but heavy coming out in the early afternoon.  I can see this as a busy trail on the weekend.  Lots of dogs, even another dachshund.

Rating:  Maggie would rate it a 5 out of 5.  But Buster would give it a 3 out of 5 due to so much uphill on the way back.  We’ll be back to do this one again.