Weather:  Clear Sky, few clouds.
Present were:  Mike, K7DOU and friend Nancy; Gordon, K7HFV; Clint, KA7OEI; Bruce, KI7OM; Ron, K7RJ; Dale, WJ7L
Destination:  The loop encompassing Mill D North to Dog Lake, then down Butler Fork.
Comments:  The lake's water level is lower - as expected:  No snow anywhere along trail, and the usually very muddy trail on the back side (heading down into Butler fork really wasn't.)  Note that a "car spot" is nice to avoid having to walk up the road from the Butler fork trailhead back to the Mill-D trailhead.
Question of the day:  "Which peak is that one?"  (A question often heard as we headed down Butler fork.)
Total distance:  Approx. 3.9 miles, car-to-car.
Times:  Depart vehicle:  1846;  Trail junction below the lake:  1928;  Arrive at lake:  1945;  Depart lake:  2019;  Arrive at car at Butler Fork:  2136
Altitudes in feet ASL (approx):  Vehicle at Mill-D:  7340;  Split of trail below lake:  8260;  Dog Lake:  8750;  Turnoff from Desolation Lake Trail:  8790;  Peak elevation:  8840;  Junction of Gobbler's Knob trail:  7580;  Vehicle at Butler Fork:  7120 (Note that none of these are the highest point on the route.)
Elevation gain/loss:  Approx. 1500 feet up and 1720 feet down.
Local sunset on this date:  9:03 pm

Images (400-1000k each, .JPG):

• IMG00703r - A view across to Mill D South fork, a short distance up the trail. (Another, nearly identical picture is #702.
• IMG00704r - Quaking aspen, a short distance up Mill D.
• IMG00705 - Dog lake, near sunset.
• IMG00706 - Some trees near Dog Lake.  (Test shot using "new" lens - see below)
• IMG00708 - Several of the group, near Dog Lake.
• IMG00709 - Several of the group at the Mill D/Butler Fork, etc. trail junction.
• IMG00711 - Mike and Ron discussing... whatever... at junction.
• IMG00712 - Mike w/Nancy and Gordon, still at junction.
• IMG00713- More of the group, still at the junction.
• IMG00714 - Clint, blocking the view.
• IMG00715r - Across the way, to the north.
• IMG00716r - Near the top of Butler, view skyward (slightly out of focus...)
• IMG00717r - View, down Butler fork.
• IMG00718 - Something being pointed at in Butler fork.
• IMG00719r - View down Butler fork, toward Dromedary/Twin peaks.
• IMG00722 - Yet another view down Butler fork, toward Dromedary/Twin peaks.

Maps/profiles:

• A topo map showing the traveled route, as recorded with a GPS receiver.
• An elevation profile of the trip.
• GPS track on a more detailed map.

Comments:

• These images are 400k-1100k in size, .JPG and are in chronological order.
• A few of the images were "exposed for highlights" - but were overcompensated.  They may have some noise in the darker parts visible after they were brightness-adjusted.
• No-one ever said that all of these images (or any of them) were good.  Some of them have definite focus/exposure "issues."
• EXIF data is present for most of the images, showing time, date, and precise exposure conditions.  Recent versions of Irfanview will show this in the "View->Image Information->EXIF" tab.
• Unless noted, all images taken using a Sigma SD-10 camera using the 18-50mm zoom lens.
• The "new" lens is an older Pentax M42 mount East German-made 50mm lens, f1.8.  (It was made between 1965-1975 in Dresden:  A Meyer Optik, probably for the "Praktika" series of cameras.)  This lens seems to be well-regarded with "good bokeh" - although the 50mm focal length, being equivalent, on this camera, to 85mm on a 35mm camera, makes it a bit harder to use for general landscape.

Wanna send email?

Return to Wednesday Night Hike index page.