If this isn't the highway to heaven, it sure bears a strong likeness. The road winds upward through sagebrush and pinon pine, then mountain mahogany, quaking aspen and limber pine. The lake is in a glacial cirque in the East Humboldt, a young, craggy and visually spectacular range. Its scarps and spires have a character that changes with the season and the light, like the wizened face of a Basque bartender.