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During August of 2002, I did very little reading, because I was busy poring over Don't Waste Your Time in the North Cascades and numerous web sites searching for the next hike. The first hike, up Sauk Mountain, was beautiful. Camilla, Bruce, Diane and I were lucky enough to have nearly perfect weather. Warm, without being painful, and completely clear, giving us a fabulous 360 degree view from the summit.
The next weekend, I feared rain, and chose what I thought would be a reasonable hike in drizzle: Lake 22. Instead, it was even warmer. By the time I reached the lake, I was cranky and sweaty and determined to get in for a brief swim. It was cold. It was life changing. I hopped in a second time.
That's not a good picture of me, but I at least look better than Samara does coming out of the well in The Ring.
I really couldn't wait to collect some more bodies of water. I went to Lake Hyas by myself. I went to the Denny Creek Waterslide with my friend Camilla. I went to Twin Falls, with my friend Kris. Then I did something truly insane. I went to the Lake Ann on Mt. Baker. We foolishly parked at the lower parking lot (the upper one was full, as it turned out), adding some extra mileage. It's a down and up. It's a fair amount of elevation gain, and this is what the lake looks like. In late August.
I'd been overheated for a couple of hours, harassed by black flies and too queasy to eat (this is a problem on a long hike). Be damned if I was going to let this opportunity pass me by.
Movie of the first time I got in
The next hike, I went on alone, to Rainy Pass, the other Lake Ann, with a glimpse of Lewis Lake and then back down the way I came (I love my knees, my virginal, rarely skiied on, still healthy knees) and around to dip briefly in Rainy Lake.
I hiked Mt. Cannon and Lonesome Lake in New Hampshire, also Linville Falls (the overlooks -- too polluted and stinky to want to do the basin) in North Carolina, a few short hikes in the Badlands. Upon my return, I hiked up to Talapus and Olallie Lakes. On none of these occasions did I enter the water. It's now well into October, and I may not get in again until the summer. But where once I hated August, now, it's my favorite month of all.
| April 15, 2002 | Cape Lookout, OR | Alone |
| April 19, 2002 | Lithia Park, Ashland, OR | Alone |
| June 15, 2002 | Loop through Cougar Mountain with Bruce and a ton of other people | |
| August 3, 2002 | Sauk Mountain | Camilla, Bruce, Diane |
| August 10, 2002 | Lake Twenty-Two | Peter, Susan, Bruce, Diane |
| August 15, 2002 | Hyas Lake | Alone |
| August 17, 2002 | Twin Falls | Kris |
| August 18, 2002 | Denny Creek Waterslide | Camilla |
| August 24, 2002 | Lake Ann (Mt. Baker) | Cheryl, Bruce |
| September 7, 2002 | Lake Ann, Rainy Lake | Alone |
| September 20, 2002 | Short trails in Badlands, SD | Alone |
| September 28, 2002 | Linville Falls Overlook, NC | Rachel |
| October 8, 2002 | Lonesome Lake/Mt. Cannon, NH | Roland |
| October 19, 2002 | Talapus and Olallie Lake | Alone |
| November 12, 2002 | Arches NP, UT: Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, Wall Arch | Alone |
| November 13, 2002 | Canyonlands NP Islands in the Sky, UT: Mesa Arch, Aztec Butte (partway), Upheaval Dome (2nd overlook), Grand View (rim walk), Murphy Point | |
| November 14, 2002 | Canyonlands NP The Needles, UT: Chesler Park | Alone |
| November 15, 2002 | Hovenweep NP, UT, main loop | Alone |
| November 17, 2002 | Red Rock Canyon State park, NV, White Dome, Mouse's Tank, Petrified Logs | Alone |
| November 22, 2002 | Wallace Falls | Alone |
| November 25, 2002 | North Fork Sauk Falls and Sauk River | Jeffrey |
| December 1, 2002 | Lake Serene | Alone |
| December 3, 2002 | Monte Cristo | Jeffrey |
| December 6, 2002 | Boulder River/Boulder Falls (hiked out about an hour and a half along the trail; got to the first falls in a little over 20 minutes) | Alone |
| December 29, 2002 | Paradise Snowshoe Walk (probably Nisqually Vista) | Ranger and a few dozen others |
| February 8, 2003 | Paradise Snowshoe Walk | Ranger, Maria and a few dozen others |
| February 24, 2003 | Little Si | Kyle |
| March 1, 2003 | Rattlesnake Ledge | Bruce |
| March 24, 2003 | Twin Falls | Alone |
| March 29, 2003 | Wallace Falls | Bruce |
| April 5, 2003 | Cougar Mountain Park (loop 6.5) | Bruce |
| April 14, 2003 | Assorted small walks in the Palouse: Palouse Falls, Juniper Dunes Wilderness | Alone |
Which brings me to the end of a year of hiking. I have extensive plans for the next year of walking about, notably a trip to NC to visit my sister, stopping in Great Smokies NP along the way, and also seeing Mammoth Cave.
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Copyright Rebecca Allen, 2002.
Created: 2002 Updated: February 9, 2013