This is my first time to Cecret Lake but not the Albion Basin. I just have to drive the dirt road about 1 mile further to be at the Cecret Lake parking.
Sunny day and already windy. 70s in the valley around noon.
The scrub oak on the foothills are loosing their leaves now. Some sections are pretty bare. Turning into Little Cottonwood canyon there are very few leaves left - that's to be expected its the end of Oct.
When I get to the ski resorts, there are strips of snow, they must have the snow making machines out getting them ready. But the only "real" snow is well above 10,000 feet - and it sure looks pretty up there.
The dirt road to the basin seems even worse then last time I was here -- looks like a mine field in spots. I'm not sure how crowded it will be just hoping to get parking. I know its not peak season and its a Friday, but I've never got here this late. But as I pull up to the 1st parking lot, I'm relieved as its empty!
I continue heading to the next/final parking. Very holey in spots, I'm driving on the very edge. When I get to the lot, there are only a few cars. It's much cooler up here at 9,900 ft - about 44 degrees - and very windy.
The trail is a short 0.8 miles to the lake and a gain of 458 ft.
Definitely a different view. I usually look down on the meadow surrounding the parking lot when I walk up to Catherine's Pass. Now, I actually get to see that trail as it goes up the mountain.
I'm not sure where the trailhead is but eventually find it and start the hike. Pretty quiet other than the sounds of the wind blowing. Flowers are gone; only brown, dry stalks remain. There's a few small creeks that are frozen in spots.
The trail merges into a road and strangely I have to step off the trail to let a sewage truck by -- maybe doing the end of season clean-out of the campground but definitely not something I expected to see.
I come to a trail heading off to the left and figure that's the way I have to go -- why would anyone stay on the road? I think I'm on the right trail but start to wonder when the trail gets a little more obscure and then splits.
Just on a gut feeling (I think the lake is to the right), I take the right branch.
The trail is on the edge of the forest and in one spot snow covered. I see two people ahead and ask if I'm heading to Cecret Lake. Their answer was not really (boy am I glad I took the right branch of the trail). I actually wasn't that far off and the trail I was on leads to the Cecret Lake trail. (I should've stayed on road - oops!)
Finally, I'm heading in the right direction. Beautiful views of the mountains which are getting closer with every step. Sun is just over the peaks.
There's a little climb up a mountain. It's a gradual climb with the mountain on the right and a meadow down below. I'm looking for any animal life but nothing.
Very rocky here -- mostly big boulders.
The trail comes into a little gorge. Very steep on the left. I can hear water running and there are large icicles on the gorge wall facing me. I'm kinda stuck as I don't know whether to proceed thru the gorge (which doesn't look fun) or go up and over. I just don't want pick the wrong way and have to backtrack.
I look back and see 2 young guys heading up the trail. I wait and ask them which way to go. This was their 1st time on the trail so they weren't sure but they just went up and over. (A little less cautious them me.) Once they got on top, they looked around and came back to tell me come their way. I'm not too excited about that (a little steep) so I turn around and head back down the trail.
I go about 50 ft and see that I actually missed the switchback - a little longer but much safer route -- so up I go. Two switchbacks later, I'm at my "stuck point" and probably should have followed them but I like the way I finally took.
Cecret Lake is a small glacial lake and is the source of the Little Cottonwood Creek. This area gets about 50 feet of snow a year -- lots of snow for skiing and water for the SLC area after the melt.
I head around the lake to the west. The lake sits at the base of a mountain - its not surrounded though. The water is definitely not calm today with the strong wind. Clouds have now covered the sun.
I find a nice spot on the western shore to enjoy the lake. There are only 4 other folks here: the 2 guys that past me and 2 ladies. Pretty peaceful. But I wish the sun would come back - it's sunny/blue skies everywhere but right where I'm at. :(
Getting a little cold so I start heading back. I don't get very far down the switchback when I notice that the clouds have almost passed and the sun should be out soon. So I head back to the lake and wait.
And I wasn't disappointed.
And a little further down, I see a long white weasel (Ermine) along the trail! He goes under a rock. I stop and wait. I see a white head pop out and try and zoom my camera in quickly for a look. But he runs off into the forest. When I pass the area, I look for him but nothing. Still very exciting!
Great day! Bring on the snow!!!
Happy Halloween!
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