"Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least." ~Goethe~

02 August 2010

Heaven...

We got another call from Glenn, while he was at work Saturday, wondering if anyone was game for a day trip Sunday.  Of course all of us agreed that a day trip would be awesome.  Especially if it called for getting away from the heat here in the valley.  So after work there was a quick trip to the store for supplies, then some packing to make sure we had all we needed the next day and off to bed early.  Yeah, you guessed it.  Up at the crack of dawn.  I'm not complaining because it is so nice to get on the highway when no one else is on it.

So by 6:30 we were heading off on another adventure to another place we had never been.  So exciting!
I just love seeing the rapids on the river and seeing the fog lifting from the river and through the valley so early in the morning.  Very pretty.
The sun was trying it's hardest to break through the pea soup.  
It was quite pretty to be honest.
After a quick little smidge over an hour drive we arrived at our destination.
What a gorgeous morning to start on a hike.  A wonderful 56F.  Heaven!  I was so 'jealous' being we aren't having those kinds of temps in our neck of the woods right now.
About half way down the trail we got a sneak peak of what we had come for.
So exciting!
A look up at the top of the mountain ridge revealed that there was still snow in some of the crevices on the hills.  Still alot there.  Not sure it will all melt away this year.  Who knows.
We got a glimpse of the valley far below, from where we drove in from.
Gorgeous meadows along the way down the trail, filled with wildflowers.
Of course there was a water check to see how cold it was.
Freezing!
Yeah, Moose had to come along for the hike also, safe in the backpack.
Then after passing through a grove of pines, we arrived to what we had come for.
Blue Lake.  
What can I say other than...
Breathtakingly Gorgeous!
The girls found the first spot possible to 'test' the waters.  There was no way they were going to wade in it because of the temperature.  They would have been hypothermic in seconds.
While the girls were getting in their ceremonious 'throw a rock in the water' ritual done, there was a rustling in the tree that Glenn and I were standing next too.  Em heard it and turned around to tell us it was a bird that looked funny.  It was holding it's beak straight up.  Weird, huh.  After further investigating, we saw it was caught in the tree on some fishing line.  We could not leave it there like that.  So Glenn started to climb the tree in hopes of getting him down.
When we got to the other side of the tree where it was easier to get up, we noticed it wasn't caught on the line.  It was literally hooked.  The girls and I thought we were going to cry.
Luckily Glenn was able to get the limb down with the bird and we wrapped him in Glenn sweatshirt so he couldn't get injured anymore.  Luckily there was another guy at the lake fishing with his son and he had the tools to get the hook out of the little birds beak.  It laid in the shirt for a few minutes afterwards.  The girls thought it was dead but after a little shake of the shirt, it opened it's eyes and eventually flew away.  We were all glad to see that it had the strength to fly because we had no idea how long the poor thing had been in a tree.  The only thing we can figure is that someone was fly fishing, got their line caught in the tree and cut the line.  Then the poor bird must have thought the fly on the line was a bug and went after it.
Oh well, at least things turned out well.  And we all felt pretty darn good.
After all that, it was back on the trail around the lake.  A nice little area was found to have a few snacks.
Brenna and I were just being quiet listening to the water flowing out of the lake and the wind in the trees.
Heaven!
Of course my mountain goats had to do a wee bit of climbing you know.  What's a hike without a little rock climbing with Dad.
After the yummy snacks, it was back on the trail to go see the outlet where the lake was 'leaking' (as Brenna put it).  Can't help but love seeing the girls always watching out for each other.  Puts a smile on my face.
At the next little diversion, one little mountain goat had to try her luck at jumping across some rocks just to see if she could do it.  She made it after seeing that Dad could do it easy peasy.  I was nervous.  All I saw was someone getting really wet and cold and smacking into a rock.  Yeah, Mom's a worry wart.
While some serious rock hopping and exploring was being done by the other 3 of the expedition, I was content to sit in the breeze coming off the lake and partake in some hooky business.  Just a quick little something brought with for quiet times such as this.  It was good.
The trail led us to the far side of the lake from where we found the bird.  What a gorgeous 'picture' this was.  I was in heaven.  Too bad I couldn't find some property with a view like this all to myself.  I would be so happy and content in life.  Everything would be complete.
Then reality set back in and down the trail we were again.  

And after about 5 1/2 hours of exploring a new and wonderful place, it was time to go back home.
Sniff Sniff.
We were all sad.  

Back up through the meadows to the tippy top of the trail head for a yummy mountain picnic.
Back down the mountain towards the valley for the short drive home.
It was a wonderful day.  And we know we will be back again to see this really beautiful spot in this wonderful state we live in.
Have I ever told you that I REALLY like where I live?
Wasn't sure.  





















8 comments:

  1. What a magnificent place! You are truly lucky to live surrounded by such beauty :) So glad you had a marvelous time - and it was especially heartwarming to see your little 'mountain goats' watching out for each other!

    Thanks so much for sharing :)

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  2. Very beautiful landscape indeed!
    Poor little bird - but lucky too. If he had to stay longer he would soon have been dead. Good thing you got him rescued :))

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  3. Oh Kar, thank you for taking me along on your little day trip. I absolutely had the time of my life. I could smell the beautiful woodsy smells and felt my own anxiety for the bird. Loved the temperatures and really enjoyed listening to the sounds of the water.

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  4. Wow Karfee!! What a great day trip!! Blue Lake is gorg!!! Nothing...nothing beats a day spent surrounded by such beauty! That's how I feel at the springs and the beach, and even in my own backyard...which isn't very pretty right now. Enjoying life's simple pleasures...absolute delight!

    Hope your week is wonderful, my friend!!
    HUGS,
    Becky

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  5. Thank you so much for sharing a little bit of your wonderful joy with us, I am so glad the bird flew away It is all very very wonderful.

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  6. What an absolutely beautiful day you had! I can't think of anything I like doing better than just "being" in nature. I love all the sounds and it sounds as if you do too! Your girls are certainly lucky to have such adventurous parents!

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  7. I actually used to 'not get' what everyone sees in our beautiful state. Now I really appreciate living here and what I have to play in. I love watching my girls look out for each other, too. It is so sweet.

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  8. Poor bird! I'm so glad you were able to rescue him. Looks like a wonderful place.

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