Off to Kirkwood for some hiking, forest bathing, and R&R.
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We hiked the Kirkwood Meadows Loop trail for the first time in the rain and Lori was ready to take on the elements |
A tree is whimsically adorned with ornaments with the meadow and Two Sentinels beyond |
Bill takes a break while Lori charges on towards the Kirkwood Ski Resort |
We were amazed to see wildflowers in October starting with this common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) |
Sulfur buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum) |
The amphitheater (disassembled for winter) where Lori has seen weddings in this beautiful setting |
Brewer's lupine (Lupinus breweri) |
Wyoming paintbrush (Castilleja linariifolia) |
Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) |
Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) |
The invasive oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) |
Lori catches up on email in Vera's remodeled condo |
The new kitchen is way bigger and more usable |
It's warm and bright inside, but it's raining cats and dogs outside |
I wanted to explore another route to the trail that we did last year to the Sentinels and Thunder Mountain and did so while it was snowing. I repeated the hike with Lori when it stopped snowing.
It snowed all morning--it's hard to see in this photo, but you might see it in front of the street or the dark hall in the front right |
I went for a hike through the ski area by myself before it stopped snowing |
The 7th tee of the Kirkwood Disc Golf Course |
And the 7th pin off in the distance |
The 8th pin is in the woods--what a lovely course! |
Lori and I in front of the Red Cliffs after Lori asked me to do the trail again with her |
Lori and I in front of the granite hills behind Lake Margaret where we plan to hike tomorrow |
These west coast reishi are fairly large! |
From the trail, we could see Vera's condo in the foreground just behind the Cornice Grill (red and white roof) with the Red Cliffs in the distance |
Lori did this hike years ago, before the Caldor Fire in 2021. This was my first time, though. It was a pretty hike with a few challenging creek crossings on logs.
What a difference a day makes! Compare with the first photo from yesterday, which was taken at the same angle, but with a wider angle lens |
Lori is very happy to be under beautiful blue skies |
We reenacted a shot that Lori showed me from over 10 years ago |
Burnt trees from the Caldor Fire in 2021 yield to new growth |
Lori and I reach Lake Margaret |
A wide angle view of Lake Margaret |
Lunchtime! |
The granite mountains reflect off of the lake |
Our picturesque lunch spot |
Lori makes one of our three log crossings |
The soft, rustling, whispering sound of the new aspens pay tribute to the dead pines all around |
Mountain pride (Penstemon newberryi) |
In the background are Elephant's Back, Round Top, The Sisters, and the end of Red Cliffs |
Western mountain aster (Symphyotrichum spathulatum) |
Lori makes one of our three log crossings |
The burned and dead trees near the trail have all been cut down and limbed to speed up the decomposition process |
We had tentatively planned to hike to the Fourth of July Peak beyond Emigrant Lake but we ran out of steam, so we had lunch and enjoyed the views from our turnaround spot.
Golden pholiota (Pholiota aurivella) |
A small waterfall in Emigrant Creek looks more impressive in real life than in this photo |
Lori and I above Emigrant Lake just before lunch |
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Emigrant Lake |
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A spectacular place to have lunch, which was made even more special because we were the only ones there! |
Bill rejuvenates his soul |
Bill and Lori, fed and happy, head back to Kirkwood |
Lori fords the Emigrant Creek |
A panorama of the mountains to the east: Caples Lake, Red Lake Peak, Black Butte and Elephant's Back peaking behind it to its right, Round Top, The Sisters, and Fourth of July Peak |
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Copyright © 2025 Bill Wohler Last modified: Sun Oct 5 07:22:48 PM PDT 2025 About photos |
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