It's About the (RV) Journey....: A Couple of Scenic Hikes...............

We have been enjoying some beautiful hikes here in this area of the Eastern Sierras. The alpine lakes dotted throughout the mountains are so enticing. I have been picking out the "easy" hikes, with less than 1000 feet elevation. Know your limits, right?

One beautiful day we went over to the June Lake Scenic Loop, to hike around June Lake and Gull Lake. Both were supposed to be easy. First up, Gull Lake. A fisherman's paradise! This small lake is situated among the mountains and has such gorgeous scenery all around. The nickname for June Lake is "Little Switzerland". We noticed that some of the newer lodgings had a chalet look to them.

Gull Lake

lots of these birds here....all chirping away

Gull Lake....just gorgeous

winter scene?

the pine trees were ginormous

Tom looks so little next to it

the trail goes around this marshy area

and heads through an aspen grove

starting to get leaves

a view from this end of the lake

the newer chalet style lodging we noticed

The trail went around the lake via different avenues! Sometimes we were on the trail, and other times we were on a gravel road connecting the pieces of the trail. The diversity of the trail, especially such a short trail, made the walk seem even shorter! The trail meandered through sage, marsh, aspen, pines, uphill, down gravel roads, past cabins and campgrounds.....a lot of diversity!

the environment changes ever 5 minutes on this hike

heading up and away from the lake

oh...nice view up ahead

that's a HUGE pinecone!

wildlife spotting on our little hike

heading back down for a bit

cool trees

June Lake ski area is across the way

another view of Gull Lake

Once we were back down at water level, the trail got crazy again and we found ourselves walking on some backroads with hidden cabins. Very nice! I can see why this is a mecca for fishermen or other outdoor types. Or even if you just want some peace and quiet in nature. There are many cabins and camping areas here, and we seemed to walk through a lot of them on our little hike.

almost back at lake level

lots of fishing going on here

the opposite end of the lake...looking back towards our car

a little bit of everything on this trail

oh pretty...and smelled so nice and sweet

walking down the backroad...past campsites and cabins....i liked this one!

some trail?!

here's another nice cabin right on the lake (on Golden Pond??)

I wanted to retire to Golden Pond, but not Tom....soooo.....that's that! Hahaha

The trail ends at Gull Lake Marina, which happened to have a lot of carved bears....I'm assuming many of them were for sale. Those of you that have been to our house (what house?) know I had several of these...hahahha. Anyway, what a nice short, and really easy hike. Really. My fitbit measured only 14 flights, which is nothing here in the mountains.

they must be for sale

this was a cutie

the deck at the marina

good one!

Not sure who made all these bears and furniture, but it was really nice

the bears were everywhere...ahhaha

Since that hike around Gull Lake was just a short 2 miles, we headed to June Lake in the hopes of walking around the lake. I have to say that we had trouble researching on the internet just where the trail might be, and wondered if we were just to walk along the shore. When we got to the beach, however, the wind kicked up and we were a little cold. Also lazy. (Not enough sleep due to a family emergency on the east coast that had us worried...but all is good!!) We could not spot a trail or trailhead, though we didn't look too hard either, I must say. So, we sat on the rocks and enjoyed the views. The water looked so inviting, and didn't feel tooooo cold, at least not on the very edge (duh!). In our younger days, we probably would have tested it out! Haha!There was a young fellow that had taken a dip and was trying to dry off in the sun. I did feel a little pang of envy....probably jealous of his youth (and the distance now from my own youth)...hahahha. But hey, live each day....and we had a delightful one! (Aside from the worries-but all is good!!)

the colors when the sun was on the lake was exquisite

the view from our rock was amazing

It does look like Switzerland, doesn't it? At least from the pictures I've seen

the colors were spectacular

lucky duck

not ice cold.....but definitely cold

If it was just a little warmer, I'd take a dip

another beautiful lake....

heading back now

view from the road....isn't that stunning....June Lake!

definitely

Another day, another hike to try. This time we headed to Lundy Lake, about 7 miles from "home", for the Lundy Lake Cascading Falls hike. This was described as an easy hike, with elevation of about 730 feet. Okay. Sounds doable, so off we went.

It was a quick, but scenic drive up into the canyon, and once we got to Lundy Lake, we stopped to check it out. There were just a few fishermen on the banks of the lake, braving the cold and wind. After a few minutes, we got back in the car to head down the dirt road 2-3 miles to the trailhead. This is where things can get dicey in these parts! We started down the road, which wasn't too too bad....but we turned around due to water flowing over the road. The snow melt at this time of year causes all the little streams and creeks to become something to really pay attention to. As the water was pretty deep in the road already, and the stream was flowing pretty heartily, we opted NOT to drive through it. We really don't want to get stuck in some of these more remote, tucked away places in our little car. This is definitely 4WD, high clearance vehicle country here!

road to Lundy Lake

Lundy Lake...tucked in the canyon

standing on the boat launch area....see how low the water level is?

ready to hike to the Cascading Falls?

the dirt road to get to the trailhead

Disappointed, we headed back out to the lake to make alternate plans. Happily, we decided to try to hike around the lake. There is somewhat of a rudimentary road or pretty wide trail on one side of the lake, I imagine for fishermen, which we took advantage of. It went almost to the end of the lake, before the trail disappeared to be replaced by giant boulders. It was such a peaceful walk, and we enjoyed the views along the way. Pretty easy too, though a little rocky....only 10 flights...hahahah!

walking around the lake

its so peaceful here

its a rocky trail....i think for fishermen

trying to get all the way around the lake

check out the size of these boulders here...they've fallen down the side of the mountain

so nice

We found a lovely quiet spot for lunch in a little cove on the way back, and wished we had brought our books. We are more of the "reading type" than the fishing type....but enjoy the same environments...ahhaha....with a book in our hand rather than a fishing rod. It was really pleasant and the sun was warming us up, even as the wind kicked up. The water was so clear and refreshing looking, with the snow melting right into it.

oh, table for two for lunch!

isn't this great Susie?

great spot!!

the water is so clear

look at that

That's the only "cascade" we were able to see here....the water rushing in was so loud too! Powerful!

After a while, we headed back home and took a short walk into town (2 minutes away). We had wanted to see the "Mono Lake" movie at the Welcome Center in town, which is different from the Visitor's Center about a mile away. On the way back, we noticed the local coffee shop had opened for the season, and we stopped in to warm up with some hot chocolate! A nice treat!