Pawnee Lake, Indian Peaks Wilderness

This 2 day trip started at Long Lake trailhead which is located in the Brainard Lake Recreation Area. The trail offers spectacular views of Long Lake, Lake Isabelle, Pawnee Lake, Left Hand Reservoir, and Lake Granby, numerous waterfalls, and fields of wild-flowers. The trail rises out of the trees after about a mile of hiking and continues to climb to the highest point at Pawnee Pass. From here we diverged from the trail to climb up to a nearby summit which I believe is unnamed. At this high point we enjoyed our lunch and the sight of mountains and lakes west of the divide. After lunch we headed down the west side of Pawnee Pass. This is the steepest section of the trail, but also one of the neatest. Two miles from the top of Pawnee Pass and at the bottom of the steep section of the trail, we arrived at Pawnee Lake. Here we found a place to camp on the west side of the lake. The site seemed nice and the lake gorgeous, but the mosquitoes and rain showers were out to get us. And for some reason the hammock wouldn't cooperate.

The hike out Sunday morning was spectacular. We decided to not stick around camp in the morning and continue to avoid being eaten by the mosquitoes. Leaving early allowed us plenty of time and no feelings of being rushed which was great for the long climb up to the top of Pawnee Pass. Also, we saw very few other hikers. Only when we got near the trailhead did the masses of people start appearing. Finally, the wild flowers were all waking up and facing the sun.

It seemed to me that the snowpack melted out of the pass only a few weeks ago. On this trip we crossed a few snowfields that didn't cause much trouble, but probably would have not too long ago.

More information about the trail can be found here.