Kayaking at Steamboat Lake and Pearl Lake SP, and a day hike to 3 Island LAke in Mt. Zirkel Wilderness

 Another mid week jaunt.  This time, it was a quick 2 day 1 night trip to northern CO.  I hadn’t been to Steamboat Lake in 40 years, and never to Pearl Lake.  Trip stats:  kayaked 9 miles on Steamboat Lake, 7.5 miles on PEarl Lake, and 7.5 miles RT to 3 Island Lake.  Got 31 mpg with kayak on top of CR-V....my Honda’s do it again.    Caught only one fish on Steamboat Lake, but it was a nice one.  I’m trolling a spoon, and not all the time, so it’s mainly a side activity so catching fish is a secondary part of the day.  Bill from Adams County who was fishing from shore near my put in and take out spot caught a beauty just after I returned from a long day of kayaking.  The wind really came up in the afternoon, and I battled some   Whitecaps coming back.  Only a few other boats out on the lake....my guess is it’s about 11-12 miles around the shoreline; I did most of it.  Saw a pair of bald eagles and their nest, and two white American pelicans.  Dispersed camped on USFS land about 5 miles north of the lake, all by my lonesome and went on a 4 miles RT evening hike up the USFS road.  The second day I headed over to Pearl Lake, much smaller but very nice...it’s about 3 miles around the shoreline.  No fish caught, but saw an osprey (no photo this time), and a spotted sandpiper along the shore (got his photo).  Then I headed up seedhouse road to a USFS road and a 7.5 mile hike up 3 ISland Lake in the Mt. Zirkel wilderness.  A beautiful hike on a hot day...it was 80 degrees when I started at 2:45.  I didn’t get back to the car until around 7:30.  The two dispersed campsites I had picked out on my drive in were both taken, and I definitely could have easily found another one, but I decided to head back and call it a great short trip.  Got home around 11:45PM.   

Spotted Sandpiper