Today with three women, we hiked to Lanham Lake, gaining 1,140' in elevation over 1.7 miles (one way). It was so hot, Karen went swimming in the frigid alpine lake.
In one muddy section of trail, Spring runoff ran directly down the trail, creating a steep mudslide. Using hiking poles, Karen and I carved a small trough across the trail, redirecting the water flow down the hillside.
After lunch, the trail was already dry.
"Hydrology 101, well done," my friend Dan said. "I have done this job during formal trail work with the Forest Service, and it really helps."
We picked up litter on the descent, as always.
On a hot August day I was at the entrance to Yellowstone Park. Decided to jump into a stream, luckily I put my hand into the water first. Good thing as the shock would probably killed me. The only reason the water in the stream was not frozen solid was it was moving. If I could have dipped a glass into the water and pulled it out it would have frozen solid. Glaciers produce cold water.
That's a lot of climbing, no wonder you went swimming in that icy lake.
@Surfpirate
With the insulating capacity of a grasshopper, I don't jump into frigid alpine lakes. Have to protect my core temperature.
At most, I stick my feet in freezing water for a nanosecond.
@LiterateHiker I've stripped down and gone in the rock pools at Forbidden Plateau while on a summer hike and it is blindingly cold as the melt water is right off the Comox Glacier.
@Surfpirate your insane. Just looking at the glacier would make me cold.