Chris found the Waterdog Lakes hike for us to challenge ourselves with on Friday morning. It was straight up from the get go and promised 4.5 miles (out and back) with 1100 feet of elevation gain.
We were surprised with the amount of young families and dogs. There were a lot of families and hikers on this trail all the way and on the way down.
We explored the first Waterdog Lake and then Chris opted to scramble up the side of the mountain to the upper Waterdog Lake. I wasn't too keen on the straight up scramble and wandered around some until I found some trails (probably animal trails) that allowed a hike with switch backs.
Once getting to the top, there was a huge rock field. I called out to Chris and could see him on the other side of it. I never did get to see the upper lake, but impressed Chris with my scouting skills.
We hiked down and enjoyed an afternoon soak in hot springs in the area.