Lakes on a Trail

Story and Photos by Alice Schenk

I gazed into the fifth lake and wondered what in the world I was thinking. It was murky and unappealing, but I was determined. I stepped into it, walked a good way out, and went completely underwater.

My goal had been submergence in all five of the Independence Lakes in the Albion Mountains south of Burley, so all five it was. Yuck and done.

Was this smart? Probably not. Why, then, did I do it anyway? Because when I set my heart to do something, I have a strong urge to get it done.

“Mom,” my daughter Megan has told me, “if you go to a job interview and they ask you for a strength and a weakness, I know what you can tell them: ‘I get things done.’”  She figured the one answer could cover both bases. “Sometimes,” she said, “leaving something undone is the smart thing to do.”

Another thing about me is every time I hike a trail or climb a mountain I’ve been on before, I fall in love all over again. It’s like reconnecting with an old friend. Over the decades, I’ve strapped on my hiking boots, driven to the trailhead, and hiked into Independence Lakes countless times.

These beautiful spots are virtually in my backyard of Rupert. It is not uncommon for me to hike to the lakes with family and friends several times a year.

At an elevation of about nine thousand feet, the five lakes are tucked below Mount Independence and Cache Peak, the high point of Cassia County. Early last summer, I hiked into Independence Lakes with my husband Wayne and our daughter, Sarah Day.

The trail starts at a small parking lot with a vault toilet. We crossed a wooden footbridge over a stream to a small, unimproved campground with several large camping spots, a couple of picnic tables, and fire pits. I noticed a new lodgepole pine fence circled the perimeter of the camping area. Beyond it, the trail into the Sawtooth National Forest was well-groomed. It’s non-motorized, out-and-back, and easily followed.