Gold Cord Lake Paddle

 I was ready for at least a short hike, feeling recovered from the marathon. Mark came along and we went up to Gold Cord Lake. Independence Mine already has some snow and the road over Hatcher Pass is already closed for the winter. I figured it wouldn't be very long, maybe just a few days, before the road to the mine also closes. So we decided this might be our last chance to hike to the lake without adding an extra mile or two to get to the trailhead. I remembered that I still had my kayak in my car. I'd been fantasizing about carrying it up to Gold Cord Lake, even though it seemed like a ridiculously difficult thing to do. It only weights 17 pounds but the trail goes up a mountain and is a little over one mile long. Now it has a lot of mud and also some snow. I always wanted to be sure there was someone to take my picture if I ever actually decided to do it. Well, today was my chance. I'm sure Mark thought I was quite insane, but he followed along. Some people advise that I use the actual backpack that I bought for it, but I find that very uncomfortable. It pulls me backwards, probably because I'm so short and it seems top heavy. I found that it wasn't too bad to just put the shoulder strap over one shoulder and hold the handle with the opposite hand. I did need to switch sides a couple of times, but I was able to move at almost my normal hiking pace all the way up through the slippery mud and snow, and scramble over the rocks to the top. I found a flat spot in the snow and quickly assembled the boat and was able to easily put it in and hop in without even getting my feet wet. It was amazing! The water was crystal clear and dead calm. It was cold, about 40 degrees, but it was also nice and sunny, with only some high clouds. I paddled all the way around the lake. It was so interesting to see the shoreline from this different perspective. I did walk all the way around the lake earlier this summer, but from the kayak, I really got to see the view of the boulders we had climbed over to hike around the lake that time. The snow on the shore really added to the beauty. I'm so glad I jumped at the chance to finally do this. I'm not sure I'll do it again, but it might be fun to do next summer when the trail is dry. It was an awesome day and a great workout in many ways.
The pictures of me were all taken by Mark Simpson with my phone.

Amazing shot of tiny me in the kayak and a curious onlooker on shore