Off To Cottonwood Lakes

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So we are back and it is hard to think about the real world now. Fortunately I wrote while gone otherwise it would be too difficult to go back and piece together this trip. So here it goes:

Day 1: Tues July 24th

Unfortunately, starting late in the morning for a trip means a late arrival. So our 1^st days plan had to be changed.

We did make it in 3 hours to the ranger station/Visitor Center only to find that we had not confirmed our reservations to hike within the given time frame so that our reservations were canceled at 11a.m., a common occurrence as per the ranger. There were, however, enough open spaces so that we could still hike as planned.

We had to rent bear cans to hold our food when in camp so we parked in the shade and repacked all of our bags in order to carry the bear cans. We were lucky because at the walk-in area at the trailhead bear lockers were available for use as a cache. We only needed to carry up supplies enough for ½ of the trip.

Because it was already 4 p.m. by the time we reached the trailhead we thought it best to camp in the campground then start our hike in the morning. Also it would eliminate a large quantity of food.

After our dinner of Curry Chicken, rice, veges and salad we were all ready for some sleep.

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