Another Fragrance Lake visit

Leann with the tree roots

Today a large group of hiker (once again) set off for a trip into the wonderful wilderness, this time to start at the Lost Lake trailhead and head up to Fragrance Lake. Since there were so many of us, we split into two groups again, with both groups going up to the lake via the trail, and one of the groups making an out-and-back, returning on the trail, while the other group went up the same way but descended on the logging road, a bit longer but quicker, making a loop hike.

Some of my hiking companions

I went with the loop hikers, but although the other group left fifteen minutes before us, we kept running into them. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with temperatures in the low sixties (16°C) with a light breeze, making our uphill climb rather comfortable. I feel so incredibly lucky to have such lovely places to hike, near town, and with great company.

Our trail in light and shadow

We took a side trip up to the viewpoint, having to wait for the first group to leave, and the view was, as usual on days like today, just spectacular.

Looking out at Samish Bay

It's always a treat to see this view, especially a clear day like today. We saw our favorite San Juan islands and took a quick respite before heading back to the uphill climb to the lake.

Boardwalk to the other side of the lake

And just like that, we were at the lake and headed over to the far side, following the path of the previous group. We were almost at our lunch spot, when I saw this picture with Terry in the foreground and the lake reflection in the middle. It's not perfect, but it felt much the same for me as I followed the others.

Terry in profile, lake reflections

We finally found a nice place to have lunch and settled in for a nice break. It's more than a thousand feet of uphill climb to the lake, but once you get there, you know the way back is downhill.

Fragrance Lake, serene and lovely

This was my view as I ate my lunch and enjoyed listening to all the conversations going on around me. We had a perfect day, a perfect spot to enjoy our break, and a wonderful six-mile excursion with some good friends. We ambled back down the logging road and got back a few minutes before the others. It turned out to be a pretty much perfect day in the wilderness. I came home to a frosty cold beer and then some real food. Now I'm looking over at the shower...

:-)