Hiking to Cecret Lake in Albion Basin.

"Doubly happy, however, is the man to whom lofty mountain tops are within reach."
~John Muir

Cecret Lake in Albion Basin, Utah
August 15, 2011

Last night I hiked up to Cecret Lake in the Albion Basin, more than 9,000 feet above sea level, with the Singles Ward. It's situated in the middle of Snowbird and Alta ski resorts, and yes, it's spelled with a C.

It was a moderately easy 35-minute hike up, although, I did have one short bout of the "this-is-abnormally-high-elevation-and-my-heart-and-lungs-can't-seem-to-remember-how-to-function-properly-and-this does-not-feel-normal-and-do-I-have-asthma?-because-I-truly-feel-like-I'm-going-to-die..." shortness of breath that I get every once in awhile when I exert myself on hikes (or walk quickly up four flights of stairs). That was a success. I'm not really sure what it is because it's not the normal "I feel out of shape" shortness of breath. It's different. Much much different. Scary different. But anyway...

Cecret Lake is nestled in the mountains at about 9,500 feet above sea level, which is pretty high for this native San Franciscan who has spent the majority of her life at less than a couple hundred feet. To give you some perspective: my home in San Francisco sits approximately 100 feet above sea level and my home in Salt Lake City is approximately 4200 feet above sea level. So Cecret Lake more than doubles that... but it's beautiful. There was still snow up there. Not lots, but definite large patches.

The Albion Basin is liberally littered with beautiful wildflowers that are especially radiant this time of year. They make you want to just skip through fields with your arms outstretched singing something like "The hills are alive..." Either that or pretend you're Heidi.

Despite nine mosquito bites, I just really had a great time. The weather was beautiful, a perfect temperature, in my opinion (no hot hikes, please). And I met (and re-met) some really fun people, both once we arrived at the lake and in the carpool ride up to the trail-head. Good conversations.

What a beautiful Monday evening it was. I'm so happy that I've had opportunities to get out and experience all that is beautiful Utah. Utah's newest tourism slogan is "Life Elevated," and I think it's rather fitting.

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