When we reached Gem Lake, Dawg had had enough of the hot temperatures and headed down a steep shale embankment to the lake. I had intended to take him down to lake level when we reached Gem, but wanted to find a more sane area. His patience reached the limit before we could get that far. I kept telling him to stop as I tried to drop my pack. He'd stop for a second and then resume his descent. He was 80 feet down at the lake shore before I was 10 feet off the trail. I managed to keep him from diving in and soaking his pack, as we slid our way down the loose slope. When I reached him, I removed his pack and in he went.

After drinking and swimming we sat at the lakes edge to relax for a few minutes when a small duck started paddling by. Dawg was laser focused on this fascinating creature. As it passed by about 30 feet off shore, he decided he just had to see this thing up close and dove in. It took a minute before Andra realized she should be filming! This video is of the last part of his swim chasing the duck before I called him back. I didn't want him to get too tired and too far off.

Looking across the lake before we scrambled our way back up to our packs. Gem Lake has very steep shores. In about 10 feet, you go from edge to 30 feet deep or more.