Dewey Lake

 Our last moments at Dewey Lake before we put on our packs to head on down the trail!

Morning Reflections at Dewey Lake

 I walked around Dewey Lake early in the morning as the sun was coming up. Calm day, but slightly hazy with smoke from forest fires in Idaho.

 Amazing views of Dewey Lake from various points around the lake.

Dawn at Dewey Lake

 I got up at dawn to catch the beautiful light.

I was not disappointed.

 Above, the sun is just peeking over the mountains to the east.  Below, our campsite - the tent in the early morning light.

This is the view to the east from our campsite - we could see Twin Outlets lake below - in this moment - reflecting the pink dawn skies.

Dewey Lake

 Our time at Dewey Lake was really wonderful.  The weather was calm and mild.  It was so still that the lake was reflective through the entire evening.

We caught and released a few fish here.  There were lots of trout jumping.  Mainly, we just enjoyed the view!

Almost to Dewey Lake!

 As we climbed around a large hill, a small pond came into view, surrounded by Dewey Mountain and Rosebud Mountain.  This is the beautiful area where we will camp our second night on the Beaten Path.  I was getting really excited about catching my first sight of Dewey Lake (coming up in tomorrow's post) I was really looking forward to dropping my backpack, pitching the tent and removing my hiking boots.

Crossing East Rosebud Creek

 

We finally got to a point where we had to cross  East Rosebud Creek.  Creek crossing is not one of my favorite things.  Tottering along stepping from one rock to the next..... I do not have the best sense of balance - that is why I carry two walking sticks. 

I did make it across without getting wet.  I love this picture for the way it shows the trail.  We were headed up our final uphill stretch on this day.

Following East Rosebud Creek down from Fossil Lake

 The big smile is partly because of the downhill nature of the trail at this point (almost halfway into the hike).  It is also because the scenery is great!

East Rosebud Trail from Fossil Lake

 This is the outlet from Fossil Lake - East Rosebud Creek.

 The trail dropped down into the East Rosebud Valley.

 We passed by many massive snowbanks still contributing ice melt to the streams and lakes below.

 The trail began to be mainly downhill at this point. That meant a lot of rushing water!

Fossil Lake - East Rosebud Outlet

 We finally reached the end of Fossil Lake and the East Rosebud outlet.

Fossil Lake in the Beartooth Mountains

After a nice break, we picked up our packs again and walked around Fossil Lake towards the East Rosebud outlet.

 It was exciting to see Pilot and Index Peaks through the smoky haze that was moving in.

 The look of the lake changed every few steps!

Fossil Lake Lunch Break

 We dropped our packs at this beautiful little inlet on Fossil Lake.

Fossil Lake is at 9900 feet elevation.  It is 164 acres, and 150 feet deep.

We did not fish here, but it is stocked with Cutthroat Trout.