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Tag Archives: hike

McLaughlin Canyon

The girls and I traveled to an agility event Friday, stopping on the way for a hike and then lunch with friends near Tonasket. It was a perfect spring day. Sunny and warm. At the start of the hike it was still frozen in the shadows but that changed while we were out. A creek tumbled down the canyon wall disappearing into the ground before it got to the canyon floor. Buttercups were blooming. Canyon Wrens were singing. A Golden Eagle stirred up all the Rock Pigeons. A fine outing.

We saw or heard these birds: Chukar, Golden Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker, Say’s Phoebe, Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven, Canyon Wren, American Robin, Song Sparrow, Western Meadowlark. There were also lots of marmots.

Such interesting geology
Water in an otherwise dry place
According to this sign, much of the trail is on private land.
Buttercups
Sky wrestled with a sagebrush. She lost
Waited for someone to pop out of the hole but no luck.

More October Color

I continue to catch up on images from last month. These are from two walks to Aspen Lake three days apart. Not much changes except the approach to the lake.

One Day, Two Lakes

Mid-October and the days were getting shorter. We managed to get in two short hikes to two beautiful lakes – Cutthroat and Blue. Next year I think we ought to add Ann and Rainy Lakes and have a four-lake day. I think this may have been the sixth or seventh time I went to Blue Lake in 2017. And I went to Cutthroat a few times in the last few months. Such pretty places and so close to home. I feel lucky.

Yellow is the dominant color. Soon it will be white.

Cutthroat Lake
Still hunting season so they were still wearing their orange.
Blue Lake
Larch needles
So long til next year!

This Time With Snow

Honestly, this is my favorite hike. I’m pretty sure. We did it with Molly and Mary in August and you can see it here. It was very different in mid-October with another Mary, and Marcy and Gus and Guthrie too.

Near the end of the hike, I lingered in the sunshine, not ready to let this moment go. I was rewarded by a tiny pika perched within ten feet of me. No doubt, this little guy was relishing the moment in the sunshine too. Pikas, the smallest members of the rabbit family, live in the harsh environment of talus (rock) slopes and they do not hibernate. During the warm months, they gather greens and make ‘hay’ piles, letting them dry before storing them in a dry place under the rocks, to consume during the LONG winter months.

The dogs were so excited!
The whole day felt sparkly like this!
A fair amount of snow in places
A moment in the sun
So long til next year!

October 10

Our next venture out and about was to Cutthroat Lake. It’s a short hike to a beautiful place and I especially like it in the fall. It was a real test to see if Sky was actually healed. I really wanted to take it slowly with her for fear that she would start limping again. Not only did we give up our walks and hikes, we also gave up agility and retrieving. As you can imagine, this was a real hardship on the dog. Fortunately, she has not had any setbacks!

The larch trees were magnificent.