Not Quite Invincible!

Lucky me, along with six great guys, got to prove that Invincible Lake is not unconquerable at all! I could see where it may be for some, but we were filled with determination and fortitude today and that is exactly what it took!

What was forecast to be a 14km trip with an elevation gain of 635 meters was off the mark! When all was said and done, we covered 16.6km with a total elevation gain of 965 meters. We learned the lesson why it is so important to go prepared for no matter what by bringing enough water, sunscreen, bandaids and Vitamin I. A few of us experienced levels of heat exhaustion, some felt dehydrated, others needed bandaids, Gatorade and salt.

This is our destination! The lake in the distance which we were joyous to see because at this point we had already done considerable elevation and had been on the trail for three and a half hours on wide open spaces in blistering sunshine. Getting to this point was quite the journey as you can see from the montage below!

I'm at the top of the steep, fire ridden slope where we took a break before continuing on with our ascent. We climbed to our highest point then it was time to descend into the valley down a steep screen slope where we were afforded the opportunity to run and slide making it a very quick trip to the bottom. I am becoming quite comfortable on the downhill screen slopes but still need assistance with steep narrow traverses.

How glorious is this! We were not defeated! We conquered! We overcame! We descended upon our destination the not quite invincible, Invincible Lake!

The Lake is nearby Mount Invincible which had a distinct look to it. It, along with two other mountains in the vacinity, Mount Warspite and Mount Indefatigable are all named after battle ships. The lake was inviting with most of us cooling off our legs in it and one brave fellow took a total dip.

This was a very rewarding day! As one of my buddies stated, he felt pleasantly depleted! That described my feeling exactly. We only saw two other folks the whole day and they were at the back side of the lake fishing. It's not a well known trail nor one that is frequented. It was an accomplishment to reach a place where so many others would dare not to go.