It has been a month since this hike and I can't remember all the details, but it's slowly coming back to me as I look at the pictures.
Since I started hiking a few years back I've always wanted to see Red Pine Lake up Little Cottonwood Canyon. I came close last year, but the snow got too thick about a quarter mile short of the lake. My first thought on this trip was to spend the night at the lake, but with the limited daylight in October, and the fact that I'd have to leave for the canyon after work, (and the possible cold temperatures) I decided to just head up and back.
Another reason I was excited about this hike is that it would be my first opportunity to hike in my new kilt. I was a little nervous stepping out of the car with a kilt, but by a mile in I felt completely comfortable. I would estimate that only 10-20% of the people I passed even noticed I was in a kilt, and not one of them said a thing. It was a busy day on the trail, too; I probably passed more than 100 people.
The trail to Red Pine Lake is very easy to follow with the
exception of the part with an actual sign. About a mile in there trail
splits: The trail on the left goes to White Pine Lake, and the trail on
the left goes to Red Pine Lake. Technically, the trail to Red Pine is
the
second left, but it's not real clear unless you've been there before.
I passed a couple looking at the sign trying to figure out
which trail to take. I would have stopped to help, but it sounded like
they just weren't sure which lake they wanted to hike to. I took the
second left up the switchback, crossed the bridge over the creek, and
kept heading up the trail. As I recall, it was about 3.5 miles to the
lake, give or take a half mile. There were steep parts and less-steep
parts.
I wasn't entirely impressed by the lake at first: it
was October so the level of the water was pretty low. After passing to
the other side of the lake and looking back, though, it impressed me
much more. There were great reflections of the surrounding peaks in the
lake and, well, maybe it was because the trail was flat as it passed to
the other side of the lake.
As I started climbing the hill toward Upper Red Pine Lake I came across a dozen deer just hanging out. They just stayed there no matter how close I got. I probably could have jumped on top and rode one of them. It was crazy how close they let me get. I came across the whole herd again on the way back down. (I think this picture is from the way back down).
I came up a little short of Upper Red Pine Lake. The sun was setting too fast and the last half mile of trail was a bit more cross-country than I wanted to navigate in the dark. So with the lake almost within view I turned around and headed back down the mountain. It got cold as soon as the sun set, too, especially wearing a kilt. I had to put on my headlamp about 2 miles from the car, and couldn't see past the light reflecting off my breath in front of me.
I made it back to the car in complete darkness and went home. The total distance was about 8.3 miles with about 2300 feet of elevation gain. I'll definitely be back to spend the night some time. And I'll definitely be wearing my kilt.
