The long haul up to Moose Lake

I'm not sure the actual mileage to Moose lake, but we hiked in and camped about 8 miles in. We found a sweet camp spot that was surrounded by natural springs flowing directly out of the side of the mountain! I've never tasted water so fresh and pure! For dinner that evening, we had brats and sauerkraut cooked over the open fire! I couldn't find enough edible flowers for a salad (there were plenty at higher elevation), but we had plenty of food to eat! The moon was almost full and the stars were very bright. The temperature at night was easily in the low 30's. In the morning, I woke to the sound of Coyotes howling back and forth. After I realized what the noise was, I noticed Charlotte (the pup) was gone. I looked out of the tent to find her tip toeing around sniffing the air in the direction of the howls. She was extremely curious about the Coyote howls and wanted to investigate. Needless to say, I called her back into the tent and we both slept for another hour or so. After breakfast, we hiked another 2 miles up a steep incline to the lake. Gorgeous! To my surprise the lake wasn't frozen! Next time, I'm bringing my fly-rod. The Forest Service is going to be stocking the lake sometime this summer! I can't wait! After we left the lake, we packed up camp and hiked out. It was grueling due to breaking in new hiking boots. I developed so many blisters on both feet. I wore my Crocs (camp shoes) with socks the entire hike out. Those shoes saved me! However, I don't think I have arches left in my feet due to the heavy pack and no arch support in the shoes. Overall, I can't complain. The weather was perfect, the company was perfect, and very little biting insects! A perfect trip!