Keplinger Lake

Beyond Sandbeach Lake lies an area that is rarely visited. We wound our way up a faint and very steep trail toward Mt Orton. As we reached the tundra, views of magnificent mountains opened up on all sides. To the north, we could see Meeker, Longs, and Pagoda. Our destination was Keplinger Lake at the southern base of Pagoda, still looking quite far away.

Once past Mt Orton and up on the ridge, the going got easier. Some tundra, a drop down into Hunter's Creek and an easy half mile up the drainage, we arrived at our destination. The ridges of Pagoda surround Keplinger Lake and almost curve back on top of you with their contrasting bands of rock.

We wasted no time digging into our lunches at the lake. It had been a long 7 and a half miles. After the rock skipping and rock misfire competition, we posed for our group photo: Linda, Kevin, Bob, Beth, Brendan, Rich, Richard (with Muneca) and Maggie.


Muneca and Geoffrey thoroughly enjoyed their second date, although we didn't allow them much private time on the rock. We wanted to get down off the rough terrain before any storm hit.


Making our way back up Orton Ridge, we could see back into the main part of Wild Basin. Thunder, Box and Eagle Lakes were below us, and in the distance, Mt Alice rose on the skyline. The heavens did finally open on us, but not until we were back on the trail heading down from Sandbeach Lake. A few flashes of lightning and the immediate thunder were uncomfortably close, but we made it down safely, drenched and exhausted.