Baker Creek Loop

Day 2 in Great Basin had very different weather than my first day  -- warm temperatures and clear skies.  I decided to hike the Baker Creek Loop, which offered options to extend the hike if I was feeling up to it.

Great views to the east right after leaving the trailhead, all the way to the Wasatch Range.

And the continued presence of Wheeler Peak, which I would once again not be submitting.

Wildflowers were abundant and blooming, including this Desert Paintbrush.

And where you have blooming wildflowers you have butterflies, like this Common Checkered-Skipper.

I always enjoy seeing swallowtails like this Anise.  Lots of butterflies seemed attracted to these paler Aspen Bluebells...

But not the "bluer" ones, for some reason.

The creek was running vigorously with spring runoff.

I decided to pass on extending the hike, so the loop alone was 3.8 miles which I covered in about 2 hours, 17 minutes.  The perfect conditions made the time fly right by.

I popped back into town for a quick coffee and snack at the Bristlecone General Store, then took the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive back to the summit parking lot and read the afternoon away.  It was as refreshingly relaxing as it sounds.  Heading back to my cabin I stopped to capture the later afternoon sun over the Snake Range, and decided I had had a pretty awesome day. :)

Related Link: Alpine Lakes Loop