Penny, Candy, Jane Marie, Bella (her dog) and I headed out early to tackle the Hematite Trail to Hematite lake before the afternoon thunderstorms arrived. The climb to Hematite Lake is a steep, strenuous 2 miles with an elevation gain of approximately 2300'. The starting elevation is 9600' ending at 11,900. The turquoise colored lake that lies within the horseshoe shaped Ridgeline, the abundant wildflowers, and views make this a great hike. As usual, by the time we reached the lake the dark thunderous storm clouds were moving in so we took a few shots of the lake and headed directly back down to the cars. I sure wish I could just once enjoy my lunch at the destination and not get chased down by storms.
