Day Two - Hiking the Six Lakes Basin

This hike was listed as 4 miles by the FS. Little did we know that by the time we were back in camp, we would have labored 10.5 miles of distance,
950' up to the top of the ridge, & 760' down to the Six Lakes. Remembering also, that this is in an old burn area, and a brutal place to try and hike. By
the time we returned to camp, we were beyond tired. Remembering also that this hiker is 75, partner has a few years beyond that. Wonderful, but brutal day.

Note that the area around 4 of the six lakes in this basin is burned. What this doesn't show is the number of trees that have fallen, and area criss-crossing
each other making progress in any direction difficult to say the least. What it also doesn't show, is that on the west end of Lake 6, where the campsites
are, there has been a fairly recent microburst, and it resembles tree-pickup-sticks. It was even harder to transit than the burn area. What only Lake 1
and Lake 6 do have, are fish. Lake 6 gives every indication of being a primo fishery. Would it be that it was a bit easier to access.

Black Lake, early AM
Slogging up the trail through an incredibly large rockfall
This one is awesome. You could take shelter from the weather here should the need arise.
Thinking that hiking partner would be better served to be looking where the feet are landing, eh?	Ezra notes that he had previously indicated that he did NOT want to do this anymore!! Hiker is obviously NOT listening, eh?
Doesn't look much like a trail, does it. Well, it wasn't. We got off track for a bit, but GPS brought us back to our senses.	Pothole lake where the trails diverge for each basin. The Six Lakes, and/or Emerald Lake
Hiking partner thought that arriving at this pothole lake was a sufficient excuse to eat something. Of course the goats always agree with that!	Black Lake from 'on high'.
The panorama from 'on high' was strikingly beautiful	Climbing up to the top of the first pass. There were two. This one and the other called Joe's Gap, the entry point into the Six Lakes Basin.
	A no-name lake visible from the top of the first pass that demanded exploration. Sadly I didn't make it this trip
	An 'old soldier' that has long since departed this plane
It was a mile and a half or so across the face of this cliff. Joe's Gap is at the 'V' where the mountains meet
Lake 1. Which, interestingly, showed signs of being a pretty good fishery. Seems odd as it was the most easily accessible, and was very turbid. But there were some quite good-looking boys crusing around the edges of the lake.
Lake 1	Lake 4
Lake 5. Pretty, but looked sterile in terms of fishing opportunities	A resident of Lake 5. Kindly informed us that his area was 'private property', and suggested we vacate the premises forthwith
Lake 6. Appeared to be an excellent fishery. How do I know that? By means of the remains of 4 fish, killed by a less than exemplary fisherman, and left to rot on the bottom of the lake. The carcasses did, however, appear to be very good-sized boys, which indicated some potential for future fishermen/ladies.
Lake 3
Back to Lake 1
A welcome sight, to be sure. We were beat!
Say Goodbye!