Gold Cord Lake

 They finally opened the gate to Independence Mine and we were able to drive all the way up. I tried to hike up to Gold Cord Lake last week but there was so much snow that I gave up before reaching the lake. It really wasn't much better today but Bella and I went for it anyway. It was a definite snow slog up to the old miner's cabin. Bella often fell into the post hole footprints made by previous hikers. But we made it up to the cabin. The tracks are not following the actual trail. It follows a meandering route with a gradual ascent. But folks have been just going straight up to the cabin over the snow. Above the cabin, the route was more defined and packed down. So, we were able to easily make our way up. Near the lake, parts of the actual trail are showing and we could follow it. It was very muddy in places, but not too bad. It was spectacular up at the lake. It is still mostly snow-covered and frozen. But parts of the lake are open and water is flowing from the creek. The water has a beautiful glacier blue color, which I found delightful. We found a nice rock to sit and had some snacks and just enjoyed to cool temperature. I had really wet feet but it was so worth it!