11059 foot Iron Mountain makes a nice backdrop for the small western-most Gertrude Lake. These lakes may make nice swimming holes during high summer, though a suit might be wise, just in case.
Western Gertrude Lake
A Cross-Country Traverse of the Minarets, August/September 2006A short level walk from the long narrow eastern Gertrude Lakes is the western Gertrude Lake. While the eastern lakes are exposed and alpine in nature, the western lake is more sheltered and lush, surrounded by trees and grass. Peeking over the lake and trees is the jagged horizon of the Minarets. After checking out small park-like westernmost Gertrude Lake with its nice views and grassy fringe, it was time to work over to Ashley Lake.
Again the walking was very easy as we headed west, and as we descended into a depression we came on a north-south trail. Going to the left and south on the uphill trail takes you to a saddle and slightly swampy area, where the trail vanishes. Obviously, this is a sometimes used route to Anona Lake. To the right and north the trail leads to Ashley Lake. Don't look for this trail on a map, but it is very much there. The trail climbs out of the depression into forest where it levels out, then descends to the Ashley Lake valley.
What you really descend into is an alpine garden! The trail turned into a faint path through a lawn covered area sprinkled at the fringes with mostly small Christmas tree sized and larger Mountain Hemlock trees. Up ahead I could see a waterfall below the massive face and shoulders of Iron Mountain. The lake was not in view yet, but we had reached the merrily singing waters of the lake outlet, and ahead a rise marked the moraine that holds back the waters of Ashley Lake. The trail headed for a clump of larger Hemlocks on the shore of the lake.
