Quartz mountain fire lookout

went for another hike from the book day hiking eastern washington   No dog this time since it was a 5 to 6 mile hike his little legs couldn't make it.

Starting at the Selkirk lodge on mt Spokane we took of series of trails up to the top.  there is a road that is not longer accessible to the public that goes up to the lookout as well but we chose to do most of our uphill on trails as the book had suggested



some of the trails were a bit overgrown


and most were pretty steep but the crunch beneath our feet was the quartz rocks





we reached the lookout and there was a family from Seattle staying the weekend  they were kind enough to let us take a few shots from the deck.  they said the lightening from the last two nights was both exciting and frightening



the view was gorgeous



this is a large piece of quartz which is what the mountain is named after.  this is white quartz but there is also some rose quartz that can be found here as well



there are three lakes visible from above twin lakes, hauser lakes both in idaho and in washington you can see newman lake.

this piece has a lot of the rose quartz in it



need to find out what type of berry this is but we saw a lot of it.  should be edible but not positive



this berry on the other hand is very edible and highly sought after because it can only grow in the wild many have tried to plant it and grow it with no success.  the huckleberry is smaller than a blueberry but very yummy.  bears also really like it so one must be aware of this when hunting them.  there is an unwritten rule that you must use a coffee can either with holes punched in it and hung around your neck or attach some sort of handle to it to go picking these.  I find that amusing.


on our way back down the mountain we came across this sign.  it amused me because my husband says of course we have to go up to go down.



more information on rentals of the firelook out can be found here: http://www.parks.wa.gov/yurtsandcabins/quartzmountain/

Frater Lake

we set out with the dog and a some picnic fixings

headed north about 1 1/2 hours to colville, washington then another 29 miles on a road that was made for motorcycle riders.  And many were enjoying it.

along the way we saw a sign for crystal falls and we stopped to take a peek



then on to Frater lake a place where in the winter there are lot of snow shoers and skiers hitting the trails.  But this hot august afternoon we only saw cows, a small frog some caterpillers and lots of cow pies



it was a short 1.8 miles around the lake according the book we bought on eastern washington hikes.  perfect for taking our little short legged dog along.



for the skiers there is a warming house available in the winter but it is locked up during the summer



loved these little flowers along the way



we heard the buzzing of many bees but didn't see many till we were trying to eat which we then decided it best we do back in the car. but this little frog was so cute he looked like a little frog



most of the trail was through the woods but when we could see the lake it was beautiful here you can see the cows and the beaver dam.


well that was our short little hike for the day but it was a great day hoping to get another one in next week

ferns

looks like the weather is jumping from summer to winter quickly.  usually these ferns are still very pretty with multiple colors on them.  but i did like this shot of them

lake pend oreille

Confession:  I have the hardest time writing the name of this lake.

was a great view from teh long climb up a hill straight up behind our cabins at the retreat recently

heads or tails or both

caught this quick shot of a deer checking me out while on a short walk in the woods.  hard to tell that the head and the tail are at opposite ends

seasons are changing

been a bad blogger I plead to busy and something has to give sorry about that.  hope to have some time the end of October to catch up more and a little time here and there.

this weekend I spent the weekend in Newport, Washington at a scrap booking retreat.  oh it felt so good to be lazy and work on projects.

I did get in a little walk and here is one of my favorite pictures of the fall colors

from beast to beauty

maybe yesterday's caterpillar grow up to be today's butterfly??  we saw a bunch of little blue ones but they were so fast I never could catch them on film.   film I can't believe I just said that.  but it sounds so much better than catch them on digital

creepy crawly

saw this little guy on the trail and safely moved him off the trail so he wouldn't get squished by the next people.  I do like how the light was shining on him it is what caught my eye to begin with.




wonder what he will grow up to look like??

the view from above

remember that marsh area I showed you in my first post in this series a few days ago? well if you look down at that water that was it.   I don't know why hubby didn't take the time to stop and look oh thats right I was on the list at that point.  thankfully it was mothers day and I was safe.  only about 1 1/2 more miles to go at this point no turning back now.




do you see the mountain in the background that still has snow on it?  that is mount spokane.

grover break

time to stop for a break and give teh dog and hubby a short rest.  by now the temperature is up and this little shaded area near the water felt good.  and a good thing because next came the mile or so it seemed of switch backs.

here are the boys crossing over to next challenge

name that flower

please because I have no clue.  but it was pretty and we saw many of them on the trail

edited to add thanks to a couple of readers this is called a Trillium and it is the official flower of Ontario.

in and out of light

as you can see the challenge was finding the right exposure from dark to light as we walked in and out of the light.  was a good challenge and sometimes I did ok and sometimes I did not.  Above was the easy part of the trail.  Below is at the beginning of the switch backs.  I think this is where my husband started thinking I took out a new insurance policy on him.  but he and the dog kept on going.  troopers both of them.

the result

or more like a home.  a beaver's home that is.  this is a beaver home we spotted on the way up the mountain.  later we did catch a glimpse of him but i wasn't quick enough with the camera.

the damage

along the way up the mountain to liberty lake falls we came across some evidence we weren't alone.

a freshly fallen tree


and the real clue to tomorrow's posts is:


I am sure you can guess what caused that!!!

starting point

everything has a starting point and this is our starting point for our hike up to the libertly lake waterfalls.  Spring is the best time to go because it is cooler, less bugs and the water is flowing down the mountain.  much of the lake is now a marsh area which is a haven for all types of birds.  there is a viewing point out which is a long deck that goes out on the marsh.  this is the view of where I am headed in the next few posts.  those distant mountains.

movement week 4

missed week three just drew a blank at where we meet.

last weekend we took a hike up to the liberty lake waterfall about 8 miles round trip.  hubby was none to happy with me all my training is paying off and after a 7.5 mile walk/run the day before this was pretty easy.  surprised myself.  so the next few days will be more shots from teh hike but here is my movement shot.

this is one of the many streams we passed on the way up the mountain.





find more capture the movement shots here:

follow the path

winding through the hills of dishman you will see lots of pine trees and rocks.  was a great way to spend an evening.

where is your favorite place to go to for a walk or a hike?

hidden pond

in the hills of dishman there are a few ponds and this is the biggest one.  in a couple of months it will be bone dry though. but for now it is mosquito heaven.

Happy mothers day

well I think it is a weed but this time of year they are everywhere growing wild here in Spokane.  So I am calling it a wildflower regardless.  like the way the sun hit this one.





To all you moms many wishes on your special day

Edited to add the plant name is balsamroot. Thanks Linda from linas lens for letting me know.
http://photomomlinda.blogspot.com/

More on the plant here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balsamorhiza

dishman hills

last weekend we took a 4.5 mile hike in an area close to town   we had never been here before and went with a group we found on meetup.com.   was a lot of fun and a good way to unwind after work.  this coming off an 7.5 mile walk the day before for bloomsday.  crazy I know.

but isn't this view worth it??