Rainbow Lakes

Needed to get outside, shoot some pictures, stretch my legs and breathe some fresh air on Thursday. I'd never been to Rainbow Lakes in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, and it fit the mood I was in and time I had available perfectly.

I'm not exactly sure how many lakes there are.  But in just about a mile, I found five.  Not all of them were particularly photogenic, but the first one certainly was with ice starting to creep across its surface.

The ice was even more of a treat on the second, with the outlet end getting some very nice coatings on the shore vegetation.

My guess is that the wind blows pretty consistently down from the glacial tarn across the water, resulting in vapor that eventually crystallizes and gets thicker over time.  Whatever the case, it creates a pretty striking effect.

Great textures and shapes in the frozen forms.

I spent a good chunk of time here just moving around this one section looking for different angles and perspectives.  It's like a puzzle with a bunch of different solutions.

The third lake didn't do much for me.  But I did see a pretty pile of fresh moose poop in the spongy marsh that surrounded the small body of water.  I assume one had bedded down amidst the willows.  I didn't think a photo of it would be all that compelling.  I did shoot this wooden bridge over a creek that had nearly iced over, though.

Lake #4 was pretty again, and again ice played a major role in its beauty.  Five was closely attached to it and fairly nondescript, so no photo.  Since I'd spent an hour and a half just getting to this point I turned back rather than exploring further, so I'm not sure how many I might have missed.  But with a fairly short distance and negligible elevation gain, it's a rewarding hike I'd recommend for folks looking for something less strenuous but still picturesque!