Pine Creek Campout

I met some friends at Pine Creek c.g. about a dozen miles south of Livingston and enjoyed a couple days of hiking and camaraderie. On Saturday morning we started up the mountain to Pine Creek Lake. This was an 11 mile RT hike from our campsite with 4,000 feet of elevation gain and is one of the most beautiful hikes I've been on. After passing Pine Creek Falls we climbed though small alpine wildflower meadows, thickets of wild berries and currants, and aspen groves. We then followed switchbacks through a talus slope, scrambled over boulders and finally reached the lovely lake at over 9,000 feet elevation in a basin surrounded by glacial cirque. It had been a grueling 4 hour hike and we were elated to be able to enjoy a couple of hours up there before starting the knee-jarring descent back down. I was very glad to be using my new hiking poles on that steep, uneven terrain.

Ruby cooling her feet after the strenuous hike
Jean, Holly, Rosemary and Nony

We enjoyed dinner around a campfire and laughed at each other as we moved stiffly in a state of semi rigor mortis. I doubled up on my glucosamine/chondroitin joint supplements and rubbed herbal liniment into my sore muscles when I returned from the hike and it truly did make a difference. The next day I could hardly feel any soreness.