Blue Lakes

On Saturday, September 22, on a sunny late afternoon, I took a pleasant, two-hour hike to a camp site at the lower Blue Lake in the Mount Sneffels Wilderness.  On the next morning, I ascended to the upper Blue Lakes.  Looking down from above, the lower lake was incredibly blue. From the upper lakes, I hiked up a number of long switchbacks to Blue Lakes Pass. At an altitude of 13,000 feet, the pass is directly below the rugged summit of the 14,150 foot Mount Sneffels.  The pass is on an extended ridge with many jagged formations, and from the pass I could see a number of peaks above 13,000 feet in elevation including Mount Sneffels, Gilpin Peak and Dallas Peak.  On my descent, the sky became overcast.  The fall aspen colors along the drive from the trailhead were brilliant.