Lake Serene ~ 7.2 miles ~ Ele Gain 2000

My motto is usually to work hard and play hard. Today, I decided to work just a little and play extra hard. I've been looking forward to this hike for awhile and was anxious to see how I would hold up. The first mile and a 1/2 was a piece of cake. The next two miles to the lake were..um... awesome? There was an elevation gain of 1300 in just 1.5 miles. Stairs, switch backs, boulders, more stairs and even more stairs and then stairs on the switch backs. The lake was of course worth it. It looks like most alpine lakes I've seen. At one point on the way back, Arlene said we were in purgatory. I believed her as soon as she said it. It took a long long time to get back to the car. 6 hours total round trip? Today marks the day I've hit 300 miles. Or at least 300 miles since I started my spreadsheet.