The upper of the Sherwin Lakes looking pretty full after a winter with 500 inches of snow.

Although the marmots are a little tired from their previous days’ adventures, they are fueled by the freedom of being on vacation and decide to pack in some more hiking. They head up to Sherwin Lakes, also at about 8k feet. It’s a cloudy day and there has been a forest fire here since Marmot 01 has last seen the trail. The blackened, hollowed, branchless tree trunks add texture and moodiness to the landscape. It’s a little gloomy and Halloween-like.

Forest fires have left the trail to Sherwin Lakes a bit barren.

Away from the fire-hit area, they see some uncommonly lofty, gorgeous juniper trees, and at the lake itself, witness small wild trout trying to jump up a short waterfall to the lake’s source. The marmots spend quite a lot of time trying to capture a photo of the fishes’ activity, but their shutter speed and reflexes are insufficient. They do finally get a video, which makes them feel content (see below).

Beautiful Juniper tree on the trail to Valentine Lake and the water flowing into Sherwin from Valentine.

At the upper Sherwin Lake Cookie and Gertie come out to play! If the marmots don’t get any photos of real, warm-blooded furry yellow-bellied marmots on their adventure , at least they would have photos of Cookie and Gertie at these beautiful places to take with them.

Cookie and Gertie don’t sense the danger lurking from behind at Sherwin Lakes

After Sherwin, there is still time for yet another activity. The marmots head out to Coldwater Creek campground, the launching point for some famous hikes, and also an abandoned mine from the early 20th century. As they arrive at the campground, dark clouds that have been hovering nearby decide to unleash a boatload of hail and thunder. The marmots are glad they remained in the car. They sit in the parking lot for about 10 or 20 minutes, thinking maybe they should just return to their condo. It will be dark soon anyway. As they drive away from the campground, Marmot 01’s instincts tell her they should stay. Marmot 02 listens and turns the car back around. The hail and thunder stop as they get back to the parking area for the mine. (Evidence—if only anecdotal—that a marmot’s instincts should be heeded.)

Late afternoon hail covers Coldwater Creek Campground

The mine equipment is viewable just steps from the parking lot. It is dusk and the old equipment is spooky. It is especially eerie covered in hail. The dramatically lit, crumpled metal heaps make for interesting photographs. The foundation of the mining shacks consist of nothing more than piles of uneven rocks, yet somehow these seemingly primitive structures have miraculously withstood the harshest of elements in the mountains.

Mine equipment following a September hailstorm at the Coldwater Creek Campground

Climbing up the short trail, the marmots are overwhelmed by the unexpected view of a hail-covered mountain (looking like a powdered-sugar covered dessert) overlooking a steaming Lake Mary all framed by an orange sunset. It is about the coolest thing the marmots have ever seen. They can’t believe their luck—it is even a surprise to Marmot 01, who has never been up that side of the trail before.

View from the Red Mountain Old Mammoth Consolidated Mine trail looking out towards a steaming Lake Mary at sunset

But wait, there’s more—a few steps further up the mountain reveals another gorgeous sunset view of a totally different set of mountains. The marmots at this point are truly living in the moment, realizing that right here, right now, in the right place at the right time, they are experiencing flawless natural beauty. Pretty impossible to describe this stuff, unless you’re like, super artsy or have taken writing classes. You really just have to be here—it’s a 360-degree sensory experience. (What’s better—eating a bitchin’ cookie, or reading a description of one?)

Looking north from Red Mountain at sunset

Best of all, they have this treasure all to themselves as the hail has driven everyone else away. The marmots linger in this dreamy place until the sun goes down, finally traipsing back to the car with the aid of pocket flashlights.

The sunset selfie from Red Mountain; the sky was lit up pink in all directions

Returning to the condo, the marmots are still bummed to not have a fireplace so they call the property management company again to report the things that are still not working and are told someone will be out to fix them the next day. The customer service guy is so polite, apologetic, and concerned that they are hopeful maybe tomorrow will be the day they get their fireplace. But for now, they nom their quinoa mac-n-cheese and chicken-pepper sausage in front of a void fireplace façade and a dark television screen.