On June 22nd Jeannie had a grand idea to hike to Silver Lake, up American Fork Canyon. I was game along with Lynn, and Buck. The weather was a bit warm so we got an early start at 8am. Jeannie & Lynn had been there before on horses, but had never hiked it a foot. Needless, to say we were in for a pretty good hike. The trail was good, with the exception of a couple of creeks we had to do a balancing act to get across. The area was absolutely beautiful and we could see Timp from the back side. Everything was bright green with several different species of wild flowers that almost looked fake. There was also tons, and I mean tons of large granite boulders, that sparkled in the sun light all the way to the top of the mountain. At about 8500 feet both Jeannie and I started to get a bit of a headache and fatigue. I soon realized it was altitude illness, something that has worried me all along in hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro. After a short rest the four of us kept hiking until we reached the top of the back side of Lone-Peak. What a breath taking sight Silver Lake was, with the snow coming right down to the edges of the water and the reflection of the mountain in the lake. It was a long, steep hike, but well worth it. That old saying every cloud has a silver lining was so true, as we all soon forgot how tired our legs were when we seen Silver Lake. The day was so fun, we seen a couple of moose, caught a couple fish, had a picnic, and tested my water filter. Thanks to Jeannine for suggesting the hike and Buck and Lynn for going with me. Hopefully, I will be more prepared for the 50 mile hike in Africa, thanks to every ones willingness to join the fun.
