Stevens Lake by GoPro

From the All Trails/NatGeo website:

Stevens Lakes is a 5 mile out and back trail located near Mullan, Idaho that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for fly fishing & hiking and is accessible from June until October.

I love this place!  When I need a one-day escape from the world, I often head east to this getaway nestled in the Bitterroot Mountains just outside of Wallace, Id. Though I wouldn't call it an easy hike, it's really only steep in a few short places.  Really manageable for most hiker.  What I always find amazing about the trail is how it winds through a few different geographic zones.  

In one area, you'll be  surrounded by cedars and walking through great dampness.  A little while further you'll be on an exposed rock slide face that is more dry pine.  Just a bit further and you'll be walking under deciduous trees and have very different shrubbery surrounding you.

Let's not forget the lakes.  This most recent trip showed them at the lowest level that I've seen.  We had an easy winter and it was near the end of a dry summer so it wasn't unexpected.  Nor was it disappointing.  The water was still clear and cold. The ancient deadwood logs were still scattered along the banks.  As I was alone up there, I did go for a skinny dip in the icy water.  As I am a wimp, it didn't last long.  The chill was washed away within minutes of stretching out on a rocky bank and soaking in the sun.

The nap induced from the warmth made the short trip to the upper lake a slim prospect.  I would have had to circle back around the west side of the lower lake and head up.  Not a hard scramble but my time was running short.  Had to get back to Wallace.

Again, I'm thankful to the good folks at Huppin's for the loan of the Go Pro.  A cool tool for capturing interesting angles.