WA-Day 3

Even with our early starts, the sun is up and shining in Washington, which makes it a little easier to get up at the crack of dawn. We packed up and left Winthrop to head back through the North Cascades to get to our hike for the day. This one was a 4.6 mile out and back with just under 1,000ft of elevation gain. While yesterday was harder, this one was moderate and just what we needed. Starting out in the alpine forest, we made our way up, crossing a stream or two and getting a few peaks of the mountains in the distance. At the end of the trail, it opens to one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. The water is turquoise and so clear you can see the cutthroat trout swimming below. It's a glacier fed lake which means minerals from the glacier flow into the lake and become suspended in the water, catching the sun and making it shine different shades of blue. It's also extremely cold. 

Patrick was happy to sit and watch the fish swim back and forth for quite some time. We ate some snacks and snapped some pictures, enjoying the view for a bit before heading back down and away from the crowds starting to gather. 

After the hike, we kept working our way back to Diablo Lake, this time stopping by the lake shore at the bottom. Again, the temps of this lake were freezing, but that didn't stop us from soaking our worn out feet and legs for a bit. Once they become numb, it's actually quite refreshing and reminds me why ice baths are an effective way to help sore muscles. 

Our next stop was the Trail of Cedars which is a one mile loop nature trail that led us across a suspension bridge and into a forest of huge cedars. It was an easy walk and so fun to see these majestic trees and the rushing stream. 

We left North Cascades filled with joy and claimed it as one of our favorite places. I'm pretty sure Paige would have run off into the wilderness had we not stopped her! Back in Burlington, we stopped by Skagit Valley Food Co-op for a delicious sandwich because we knew it was good and fresh was optimal. I was also able to do some laundry and reload for the next day's adventures.