The day started with “bugle” call notifying camp that breakfast would be served at 7am. Our first breakfast at camp was delicious and filling. After breakfast Alan and I carpooled with nine other campers to the Blue Lake trail. We opted for a shorter hike the first day to give me recovery time from the Colorado hiking.
Driving through Cascades National Park we encountered smoke from local fires, but we were never in danger of the fires. Along the route to the trailhead we made a short stop at a visitor center and at one scenic overlook. It was a long drive and that meant we didn’t start hiking until almost noon and finished just about 4pm.
The hike included about 1000 feet elevation gain during the five mile out and back trail. Our hike leader was Marianne. We saw mountain goats along the trail, fireweed in bloom, gorgeous views and the stunning lake.
The weather was great. The trail was dusty with many tree roots and quite a bit of rock during the second mile.
Blue Lake
Our first scenic overlook.
A family of goats we saw that were practically on the trail.
A different view of Blue Lake
Two options to cross the stream; we chose the one on the right.
