Most recently I'd seen Mirror Lake from Tinkham Peak, which stands just above it. Before that it'd been the start of a southbound PCT hike and as a stop over on the way up Silver Peak.

We started early... in the afternoon. Amy and Ryan showed up right on time at 9am and after throwing the girls and the dog into the truck we were on our way east. Poor Auntie Amy had to squeeze between the two carseats in the back, but Ryan and I had the luxurious space of the front seats.

While driving toward the trailhead on a dirt road we pulled up behind a town car and an airport shuttle bus. They were clearly lost (gee, ya think?) and looking at maps to figure out where they went wrong. I can't imagine where they were heading or who they were going to pick up, but I guess somebody out there was heading out of town.

We passed Lost Lake, which might be the worst name for a heavily populated lake ever. The road goes right past it and at 10am there were cars and trucks everywhere. If you're looking for solitude Lost Lake ain't gonna have it.

Neither is Mirror Lake, for that matter. There were already a bundle of cars at the trailhead when we arrived, but still plenty of parking. We geared up (an amazingly long process with two little ones) and started walking up the road to the real trailhead. (The road is bad enough that you have to be really lazy to drive the half mile to the signed trail.) Before we'd gone more than 100 meters Tokul decided to relieve herself. Rather than pack it for the rest of the day I ran it back to the truck and left it on the spare tire to ward off evil spirits.

The walk up the road was hot even at 10am. When we finally ducked into the trees it was a great relief. The trail is pretty good and easy to walk even if you're only three. Clara's limit has always seemed about two miles with a short break in the middle. (This is based on the Twin Falls trail.) Including the road, it was about a mile to the first lake, Cottonwood.

Although it's not terribly intersting it was a good spot to stop and have some snack. There was a lone fisherman in a float tube on the far side of the lake, but otherwise we saw no one. Lilly wandered around the camp site, mostly toward things she should stay out of: the firepit, the water, the blackberries. Ryan mentioned it was like herding cats.

The next half mile of the trail gains a little elevation, but it certainly didn't feel like the 800 feet from the cars to Mirror Lake the map shows. The total distance was only 1.5 miles, but it took us over an hour to get to the outlet of Mirror. Unfortunately, there was already someone camped there so we poked around and found a spot we could claim as our own for a little while.

Clara was desperate to go in the water so the first order of business was getting her into her swimsuit and water shoes. (Actually the first order of business was having her do her business, but we'll skip over that.) I waded into the water with her and was surprised it was quite warm. Mayflies buzzed all around and although there were some flies and mosquitos they weren't that bad. (No thanks to the DEET-free spray we used. We all came home with bites.)

Lilly wasn't all that keen on the water, but was interested in lunch so we hovered in the shallows and downed milk, grapes, cheese, and a pbj for Clara.

The water was extremely clear so we could see the bottom for quite a ways out. Just beyond our reach was a couple of rocks that rose above the water and cried for our attention. I rolled up my shorts and found that if I stood on tip-toe on some dicey rocks and logs that I couldn't see I could lift Clara from one rock to the "island." Over she went and we explored our latest conquest. Tinkham Peak loomed over the northern end of the lake and kids with inner tubes dominated the area just to the east.

I took some pictures and realized that Lilly needed to be out on the island, too, so Ryan handed her to me and now we were three on the rock. (Tokul was relegated to the shore because handling her on leash was way too much and she'd have shattered the peace of the lake (such as it was) if she was let free.)

Clara wanted to go into the deep water just off the island so I dipped her in, but she decided that wasn't good so out she came. We tried to see the fish that was rising near our spot, but couldn't pick it out of the rocks on the bottom.

After we'd had our fill of the sun and the water I got the girls ready to go. I had even thought to bring towels so we were all dry for the hike out. (I know bringing towels shouldn't be my main accomplishment for the day, but there's a reason I'm not the Mommy.)

On the way out we passed a tiny snow field and Clara determined she needed a snowball. Amy took her to the field (a short ways off the trail) and had to use a stick to carve a snowball out of the icy remains. Clara gave it a lick before realizing aged snow was not really tasty. Even Tokul didn't want it.

The hike out was uneventful. Clara did a couple of face plants and at one time said, through her tears, that she didn't know why she was falling so much. I used the magic of SHiBs to keep her spirits up (and those of Auntie Amy, too) and that did the trick. Cottonwood had a bunch of people milling about in the trees when we passed it, but otherwise we ran in to few people on the way out.

Packed tight in the car with the AC pumping Amy started giggling wildly from the back seat. It seems Lilly had found her armpit and decided tickling her would be loads of fun. Amy had to fight off both Lilly and Clara as we sped home along the freeway.

Total distance was three miles and 800 feet of gain and that's a new record for Clara. Although she was a bit cranky and tired for the last half mile she did great raising my hopes for an overnighter some time later this summer.