Skull Lake on the Beaten Path in the Beartooth Mountains

 On the second day of our hike along "The Beaten Path" in the Beartooth Mountains, we reached Skull Lake about 9 miles up the trail.   Here are a few pictures of the trail leading up to Skull Lake.

 

The elevation of Skull Lake is 9640 feet.  This lake contains a self sustaining population of Brook trout.  We met a fly fisherman here, and he said he caught 5 small Brookies in about 5 minutes.  After we chatted, he and his companion headed off trail,  up over the ridge to Picasso (also known as Basin) Lake.  Picasso / Basin has been stocked with Golden Trout and we did discuss heading off trail an additional 1/2 mile to try catching one.  However, we had gotten a late start the previous day, meaning we had to make up time the second day to reach our (hoped for) campsite at Dewey Lake.

 
We were really excited to catch a glimpse of higher peaks with snow on them from the trail around Skull Lake.  This meant we were getting near the top (and would be able to start hiking downhill) soon!  This was especially exciting to me because my asthma kicks in when I am climbing up with a pack on my back and I struggle to suck in enough air!  (sounds like I am dying!)