More Idaho vistas

[The dogs and I have been back in Seattle awhile now since our all-too-brief stay in Idaho in late June and early July. I'm already scheming to return in early September. In the meantime, I'll simply share photos from the Idaho landscape that feeds my soul. Pretty sure it also feeds the souls of my dogs.]


When I need a quick dose of dense forest single track trail, I head for the Goose Creek Trail. This morning's trip didn't disappoint. 
 

Goose Creek running fast in early morning light.

Goose Creek upstream from bridge.

And downstream, including a new bridge made by nature.

We met a couple running the same trail with their dog, which is a rare yet welcome encounter.

*****

A couple of days later, Finn and I tried to visit the Forest Service Fire Lookout atop Granite Mountain. 

Goose Lake from the shoulder of Granite Mountain.

Finn poses on boulder as we reach remains of last winter's snow.

It's hot during this trek up the mountain, so I'm glad that as we get to about 7000 feet in elevation, there's some soft snow for Finn to cool off on. And eat. And roll in.

Finn cools off on the snow. Twin Lakes in the background. Finn's wearing his GPS collar.

Finding our way through the boulder field.

Eventually we reach a point about a mile shy of the lookout where the trail zigs and zags across fields of granite boulders. The single track dirt trail often disappears for several yards as it crosses big stretches of exposed granite, or is buried under the remaining snow. Occasionally I find and follow cairns, or old paint markings on boulders, that help the Forest Service employees find their way up when stocking the lookout early in the summer. But I do a lot of backtracking as well, and the higher we climb, the more snow we encounter, covering the trail. I keep losing sight of cairns. From past trips, I have a general sense of where the trail should be, but I'm not willing to wander around up here too long in the heat, or risk losing the trail back down. I decide to turn back without reaching the summit.

Thankfully, the remaining snow is melting fast, creating small streams from which Finn and I drink. Finn doesn't seem to care where we go, or whether we reach the summit - he's just excited to be out, playing on snow and chasing critters that dive under the big boulders and fallen trees.

Finn enjoys a bit of play on this big patch of snow. Goose Lake in the background.

 

On the way back down, Finn's not too hot to harass chipmunks.

Aah; cooling off in the stream at the bottom, near the trail head.

We finish close to noon and it's already nearly 90F. Too hot for me, for sure. Finn and I return home and rewarded ourselves with a nap. This is my idea of the perfect vacation. Work? What's that? I'm actually surprised that thoughts of the work I left behind in Washington aren't intruding into this vacation at all.