Only twenty five miles from downtown McCall, Idaho – with the last 15 miles on wash board dirt road – you will find the trail head to Upper Hazard lake. I have cat skied some of this territory in the winter but the summer provides a whole different view. The trail is a bit over 2 miles and passable for three year olds with a bit of help occasionally. The Lake itself is at 7000 feet and is beautiful – nestled in the rock outcropping of the majestic south Bruin peaks which tower over 8600 feet above sea level. It was a beautiful day and kids enjoyed the walk through the wild flower meadows and the unique burned trees that were left by the Blackwell and Corral fires of 1994. Nature has done an amazing job of healing itself over those subsequent years but the burnt spires and fire carved trunks serve as a reminder of the devastation caused by the fire that was only extinguished by the first snow falls of that winter. There cannot be a more enjoyable and inspiring way to spend a summer afternoon.
Hank had his buddy Jet with him on the hike and Margie had her friend Beckett. The hike would not have been as much fun without their constant chatter on a great variety of topics. Hank and Jet are six and discussed the age of the oldest person on earth – 122 according to them, why the spinning earth does not throw us off the planet – gravity of course, and the purpose of the Atmosphere. When we reached the lake and determined it was a bit cold for swimming they entertained themselves by following around a good sized garden snake. Margie and Beckett have a shared sense of humor – we tease about our names and I always ask if I can borrow their names. Beckett has started calling me by her name and I call her Mike. I asked her what she was going to call her dad and she said “antelope”, to which Margie responded immediately, “I love cantalope”. Hide and seek was in order and when the girls started getting tired as we trudged back to the trail head, they chanted Daniel Tigers strategy, “when you feel so mad that you want to Roar, take a deep breath and count to four.” I hope you get to spend some therapeutic time with your children or grandchildren.
In my head I am repeating the Tiger strategy, as I grow increasingly irritated and frightened by our Fearless leader. But when I feel like Roaring, I am skipping the counting and pleading with people to vote. I am encouraged by the prospect of Senator Kamala as Vice President along side her proven running mate as they will work with integrity to rebuild on country.
Stay well. Mike