Sunrise at Hog Lake

I woke up at 5:30 on Sunday and quickly headed west to start a short hike to watch the Sun rise over the basaltic cliffs at Hog Lake west of Spokane. It was a pleasant, if not a bit cool, pre-dawn stroll. I took some photos of the Aspens as the sun climbed higher in the mostly clear sky. A raven, of course, accompanied me for awhile grounding me as always. I was just leaving this favorite spot of mine as a few hunters began to arrive. I arrived home for a full day of chores and family activities by nine o'clock in the morning.

Gossamer Inspiration

Why the title? Well, I like to pack as much into a day as possible as my family well knows. Hiking in the early morning has many, many advantages the least of which is being the first on the trail! The first to get dew on the boots, the first to see wildlife and the first to see the exceptional morning light. The added bonus is clearing the spider webs from the trail with your face and hat! I came up with the idea last summer when hiking out early from the Goat Rocks Wilderness in the South Washington Cascades. I had just spent a fun weekend with my Portland area backpacking friends for the Perseid Meteor shower. This meetup has become an annual event for us. As I was hiking out I was thinking about how special it was to be hitting the trail at that early moment of the day. Moments that I want to record and remember. Pretty special.