Another Lake, Another Hike

June 2nd 2014

This mountain is my Happy Place.  I've written before about how this landscape draws me in and makes me feel at peace.  It inspires me and refreshes my soul.  This time of year, before it gets busy, it is perfect.  Today I shared this lake with my daughter, a couple of kayakers, an osprey and two sets of intrepid campers (it's still pretty cold at night here).  It was quiet and beautiful.  We saw a marmot for the first time today, what a funny looking creature that is, like a grossly overweight squirrel as big as a cat!  It was fun to see something new though.  We also got bitten by mosquitoes despite gobs of bug spray - not so fun.  Oh and there was a jumping lizard.

The sky and the water really were this blue.  It was just beautiful.  I was surprised that the lake was as full as it was.  We have kayaked here for several years and it was just about 6 inches below where it would normally be this time of year.  I was expecting, with our drought, for the water to be lower.  This lake is one of several in the area used for hydro electric power production.  It is perfect for kayaking because there are no power boats allowed and there are lots of little inlets and hidden pools for exploring.  There is one near where these photos were taken that is like a tiny secret lake off the main lake and the surface is covered with water lilies.  They were just beginning to bloom with yellow flowers yesterday.  We kayaked in it once but a thunderstorm came up suddenly and we had to take cover for a bit till the worst had passed.