In keeping with my game plan for life, namely, climb all the tough routes when I’m young, suffering cold bivvies, and then over the years scale back to leisure backpacks, drink coffee and eat good camp food, Suzanne and I hiked in to Tuck and Robin lakes last weekend. The forecast for the west side of the mountains was for rain so going east seemed the better option.

A couple of miles up the trail we came upon a troop of Boy Scouts coming out who looked rather wasted. I still vividly recall one young lad, wearing a bug net over his head, lips cracked and dry, looking very haggard, who was very interested in how far it was to the car. Never mind that we were at least twice as old as anyone we saw hiking in or out. It can’t be all that bad of a hike.

After three miles of hiking along Hyas Lake we had only gained 100 vertical, then the grind began. The turnoff to Tuck Lake after 4.4 miles is at 4200 feet and from there up the trail deteriorates, lots of big rocks and roots to climb up and over, for 1000 more feet. Five hours from the trailhead and 6.4 miles later we staggered into “camp”, dehydrated and hungry, the only problem being that there wasn’t any available place to camp near the lake. We found a great spot away from the lake overlooking the valley and Cathedral in the background and went to work on setting up camp.

Only problem was that, in my haste, I had picked up gas canisters which didn’t fit my stove. To top it off, we somehow managed to leave our utensils at home, so things weren’t looking too good all around. My leisure backpack was starting to remind me of earlier survival stories. Oh well, cold Top Ramen can’t be too bad, right? Wrong. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it. The numerous chipmunks no doubt enjoyed the leftover noodles. Fortunately, we had some salami sandwiches made up for lunches, so starvation wasn’t an issue. No toothpaste tea.

The next morning, after another salami sandwich and no coffee, I scrambled up 1200 feet to get a view of Robin Lakes. What an enjoyable scramble up granite slabs, following cairns here and there! It does feel a bit like the Enchantments. I could see how it would be fun to take a couple of days to scramble up Granite Mountain and just play on the rock. The scenery really does get spectacular once you get out of Tuck Lake.

What amazed us was how many people and dogs were hiking in on Saturday as we were hiking out—probably 35 people and 11 dogs, big dogs, which means big piles. The only toilet at Tuck Lake is nearly impossible to use without falling off, and I didn’t see one at Robin Lakes, which means you’d better watch where you put your feet. It’s hard to imagine where all those folks were going to camp, since there are only a few sites at Tuck Lake.

All in all, it was a good trip, albeit with a few hitches along the way, but that’s what makes for an adventure, right?