Saturday, August 01, 2009

Beat the heat with a liquid retreat

I spent the day yesterday (after hiking in the Goat Rocks Wilderness) with Terry Wood of REI and the Seattle Times. We did a 13 mile one way hike from Chinook Pass along the PCT to Dewey Lake in the William O Douglas Wilderness out along the American River to the Mesatchee TH. Among the highlights (for me anyways, a lover of water) was an afternoon swim in gorgeous Dewey lake. On the lake's far eastern shore I found a heavenly sandy beach. The water was oh-so-warm, a nice side effect to our record breaking temperatures this week. The mountain lakes in western Washington have been really inviting this year-and this summer is reminding me of 2003 when I was researching my best Hikes with Dog inland Northwest book. That summer I spent a month in Republic, WA and Sandpoint, ID in which the temperature remained 90-to 100 almost the entire time. Not one alpine lake in the Selkirks and Bitteroots escaped by sweaty body. Seize those lakes! Who knows? Next summer may be another cold one again, so take advantage of the heat while we have it! See you at the nearest tarn!

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