Thorp Mountain

On Tuesday a friend and I went hiking. We drove through the mountains and hiked up a mountain on the east side of the mountain crest. It's dryer over there and the forests are very different. I lived here in the 1980s and know the area. From the top, I could name the mountains I climbed when I was younger.




The Mountain! (not Thorp Mountain :D )


Blue huckleberries

It was a beautiful day, blue sky and not too hot. Walking through the pine an fir forest was lovely. The forests aren't as dense and open up into meadows of wildflowers (a little past their prime). Everywhere the blue huckleberries grew and they were ripe an juicy. We grazed our way up and back.




I was leaning





I want to tell you not all mountains in Washington have houses on top. Just the ones we have been visiting this summer. This one is closed up, and still used by the rangers occasionally. All of these lookouts have spectacular views.


Looking down on Thorp Lake from the summit


Thorp Lake

We dropped down to the little lake of the same name Thorp Lake. It was a lovely and peaceful spot. Except for the occasional plane flying overhead, the only sound was the wind and the birds. My friend headed of to explore the rocks at the head of the lake. I followed as far as an outcropping of rocks at the lakes edge.




I was drawn to the lake. After a little time sitting in the sun, I jumped in and swam out to the little island just off shore. What a fun and adventurous way to see the lake. I'm not the the first, but certainly in the select few who came to this lake and looked at the sight from the island. Most people stay on the shore looking at the island imagining themselves out there.

We grazed our way through the huckleberries back to the car. The journey was full of interesting trees and rocks and plants and steams and. . . stump-chairs. I'm reminded of the wisdom I learned from hiking with little kids. We don't get tired. We get bored. Just taking a pause to look around and find the interesting or the adventure at any moment gives up ample energy to make it to the next pause.