Red Pine Lake

On August 3, the girls and I took a hike to Red Pine Lake.  My friend Annette had recommended it.  My friend Stefanie and her kids came with us.  It was supposed to be about 6 miles long but according to Stefanie's Fitbit, it was actually about 8 miles long.  So either we accidentally went to White Pine Lake, Stefanie's Fitbit was wrong or I heard wrong.  Whatever the case, it was long.  So incredibly beautiful, but long.  There was lots of whining by my kids on the way up.  And some whining by her kids on the way down.  Plus, McKell got hurt on the way down.  But it was beautiful.  I thought it was completely worth it.  My kids ended up liking it...but there were tears and grumpiness and complaints for a good chunk of the hike up.  It's pretty mean of me to force them to do such hard things, they think. 

 The hike is really pretty.  You cross a river and hike near a river for awhile.  There are so many beautiful wildflowers.  There were also wild raspberries growing along the hike.  But the best part of all (aside from being with my girls and my friend Stefanie) was I finally saw a moose!  I've wanted to see one for awhile and especially this summer, it was on my bucket list.  But so far, I've had no luck.  When we camped in the Uintas, there were moose tracks near our camp on the second morning but no moose.  But while we hiked up to Red Pine Lake, there was a bull moose lying in the grass in a clearing.  He was lying down and hardly moved so it wasn't the best look at a moose and my photos aren't good...but there was a moose!!!

Such a beautiful  view!  I love the fresh air and the feeling of being up in the mountains.

Hard to see...but that brown in the middle of the grass?  That's the moose's antlers.  Like I said, not a very good photo.

The lake was really beautiful.  The kids enjoyed tossing rocks into the water and we all enjoyed resting and having a snack in this beautiful location.