Blue Lake at Sabrine Lake Basin

We had a quiet morning, enjoying breakfast and washing up. Mari and Steve finally left for their trip to coastal California while we planned on an eight-mile hike at Sabrina Lake west of Bishop. I was tired from yesterday's long hike but came along, and I am glad I did. Blue Lake is worth a visit, and it's another dog-friendly hike to 10,000 feet, shaded by trees and cool streams. Sadie did amazingly well after yesterday's hike. Mary drove this time as I rested. My legs were clearly tired and I felt fatigued all day, even at the busy trailhead where I wasn't sure how I would do today. Mary was in the lead the entire hike while I took many short stops to regain some strength. This was a busy trail with views of Sabrine lake almost the entire length, and it was a popular hike with many other dogs as well. People were canoeing on the lake itself. From out viewpoint we could see the excess water in the lake, which was clearly over its banks all along the lakeshore. But more striking was the aquamarine hue of the water. This alone was worth hiking to see. Mary was in good form today. Even the few creeks we had to cross through higher up were effortless for her (and Sadie). Since it was a warm day I walked through the water, knowing that the boots would dry in a few hours. What a wonderful hike this was. When we finally left the lakeview to begin the hike to Blue Lake over a ridge, we were now in alpine forest and more snow and exposed rocks. I was slowly regaining some strength as I felt energized. The trail had leveled off nicely. I could walk again! An older man was raking leaves off the trail, with his water dog nearby. He had carried a rake along just to do his part in trail maintenance, he said. I had never seen anyone rake a trail before, but here it made sense: the wet leaves would otherwise cause unsuspecting hikers to slip and fall. We saw the man's completed work on our descent later. When we finally arrived at Blue Lake the views reminded me of the many small alpine lakes I encountered along last year's John Muir Trail. Blue Lake is a small alpine lake carved out of glacier rock. Pines and granite line the shore. Deep boulders are visible inside the lake as the water is so clear. There was some snow here in the shaded areas but there was more cold, rushing water than there was snow...and with the water came the many mosquitoes. We had found our point of solace and rested at several spots along Blue Lake. It was an ideal spot to take a nap and contemplate life's beauty. We could have perhaps hiked some more but I was satisfied with this shorter hike as tired as I was. I am glad I made it today with Mary. Another plus to today's hike is watching the scenery on CA168 as we slowly made it back into the valley. This is an active earthquake zone, and I could see a major faultline protude in the foothills.