Shealor Lake

Today was Mom's birthday so to celebrate we drove up the Mormon Emigrant Trail to 88 and then to the SL trailhead. Well, actually, I just wanted to hike. Mom says I'm out of the will because the parking area (she doesn't hike but likes to go on drives) had no bathroom and it was noisy.

This is a great hike around 7500 feet and climbs up over a granite saddle with spectacular views before descending steeply to the lake. Shealor is small and intimate without being claustrophobic. There are plenty of places to swim and the water was warm. It's only a mile and 1/2 so the distance is good although the trail is steep!

I took the trip back slowly and stayed on the trail. On the way down I had taken a few shortcuts that didn't turn out to be as easy as they had looked. On the way up I had much less energy and really couldn't afford to take chances.

The trail was relatively easy with steep rocky spots mixed with level or slight upgrades for rest. I still managed to trip and fall but only skinned my knee and bruised my hand.

Rock cairns marked most of the path because granite just doesn't lend itself to mere bootprints. The different kinds of rock were interesting too -- granite, huge chunks of raw volcanic rock, pink rock, quartz-y looking rock and red rocks. I'm not sure what type of formation this rock is, perhaps some sort of special volcanic action. (Joke)