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

Alpine Lakes Loop

I've been planning a summer road trip for several months with the main goal of checking another national park off my list -- Great Basin in Nevada. 

I'd hoped to summit Wheeler Peak, but the ranger I spoke with called the ascent "extremely challenging" due to snow and ice remaining near the top.  Since I didn't have the right gear to deal with those conditions, I decided to stick with just hiking the Alpine Lakes Loop instead.

Solid choice, as the first lake I reached was gorgeous.  Stella Lake was crystal clear and fairly still.

The overcast skies didn't detract from the beauty of the scene very much, if at all.

Next up was Teresa Lake, which while not quite as striking as Stella was still quite pretty.

Downed trees along the lake's shore added to the appeal.

I covered the 3.15 miles of trail in a little less than two hours, including stops for pictures at the two lakes.  That left plenty of time to stop at various overlooks on my drive back down the mountain, including this one looking back to the summit of Wheeler Peak.

The Great Basin from which the park gets its name covers more than 200,000 square miles and parts of six states, including most of Nevada.  It's considered an "endorheic watershed" since it has no outlet to the ocean.

I'm not exactly sure how far across this fairly flat and featureless plan to the northeast once can see, but at least a hundred miles seems like a fair bet.

One day and one hike down!