Revisiting Beautiful Spectacle Lake, page 2

Forest down near Pete Lake

We had played leapfrog up the trail with a party of four men who grabbed the primo spot at the end of the lake where the old shelter used to be. It boggles the mind that so many people would be at this lake.  Every single campsite was bustling with transitory city folks proudly surveying their few feet of wilderness kingdom.

After much searching, I found a tent site in the woods near the inlet stream. It was drab and dreary, but would have to do. Leaving the one good spot to C&G, I pitched the Omnipotent in a little hole nearby and spent an absolutely miserable night sliding sideways into Mica.  She wasn't too thrilled about it, either.

The hike up to Spectacle Lake was a genuine grunt for me. I was soooo tired and depleted of energy. I thought perhaps I was coming down with some sort of virus but had a ‘not to worry’ attitude. After all, there's nothing like a little jaunt in the woods to fix whatever ails you!

My back had its usual stiffness so I didn't pay too much attention because it gets tight and hurts all the time anymore.  I think it's just part of getting old. C&G could have passed me several times on the switchbacks up to Spectacle; the only reason they didn't was out of politeness and a touch of disbelief. They couldn't believe I was really as out of shape as I had told them I was prior to the hike. But, I must admit, it was even worse than I had anticipated.

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