The second lake in

I went on a hike Saturday. If you know me, you know that I like-love-to get out in the mountains. One of the great things about the Wasatch is that you live at the feet of real honest-to-goodness-snow-on-top mountains. Anyway, 40 minutes from my front door, I was heading up the trail towards Silver Lake up American Fork Canyon. The trailhead was at Silver Flats lake, which was almost drained and well, ugly. ATV's all around (ever noticed how skinny folks on ATV's are as rare as obese hikers?), but a nice trail headed up into the aspen. I passed several groups of scouts coming back from Silver Lake, they were happy because they had had a nice campout and most had caught fish.
Silver Lake was set in a spectacular bowl, but it is also a resivour, and this being mid-september, it was also largely drained. There were several folks fishing, and some just enjoying the scenery. A few fire rings and well-used campsites lined the shore. It was not ugly, but it was not pristine.
But that day I had not come to see Silver Lake. After a brief rest, I shot a bearing and headed up the slope. No trail, but I could pick my way through the aspens and granite. Each time I crested what I thought was the ridgetop, there was another slope, another top. But finally, after an hour of fairly strenous climbing for a chubby old guy, I caught a glimpse of shiny water. This was Silver Glance lake-the second lake in. No campsites, no irrigation-driven drawdown, only a faint use trail to indicate that I was not the first one ever to see it. And I was alone. And what a treasure of a little lake it was, tucked beneath the granite of the mountain, ringed by grass and pines and rock. I enjoyed the lake and the solitude while I ate my lunch, then headed back down to the crowds at the first lake in. I did see some moose in the beaver ponds below the lake. It was a nice day.
Like most people, my life has been one of making the effort to get to the first lake(at least I'm not sitting on my behind at the trailhead, eating an oversized lunch on my ATV and irritated that I cannot go up hiking trail on it). It's on those rare occaisions that I make the effort to get to the second lake that the real reward has come. And I am not talking just about hiking.