Black lives matter

Nestled in the forest.

California’s super bloom. Most peaceful morning I’ve really ever had.

at Canadian Rockies

FORESTBOUND

Mt. Chocorua, New Hampshire.

Zackk Barazowski

Lofoten islands, Norway by jannilaakso

Lonely Meadows by Daniel Plan

Bryan Daugherty

by Bruin Alexander

I honestly can’t think of a better way to spend a day in the late summer than by going for a hike in the mountains with a stop by a beautiful alpine lake to cool down. So I was very thankful that I got the chance to hike in the beautiful Cascades of the Pacific Northwest after a few years again, all thanks to Amber and her mom who drove there and back. Not only was it nice to be out hiking outside after almost two months of non-stop studying, not only was it nice to be adventuring with a great friend like Amber, but it was absolutely amazing to be in back in the lush evergreen forests of the beautiful state that is Washington.  It took us a while to hike up from the bottom of the valley to the lake, not because it was a long and steep uphill climb, but because the path followed this beautiful stream, winded through a majestic forest before eventually starting to offer a exquisite view of the surrounding mountains the higher the trail reached. The only downside to going further up was also getting closer to the unfortunate layer of smoke that was present due to the forest wildfires that had been ravaging all of the west coast that summer. So by the time we reached the lake, there was a layer of haze that was nested on all the peaks and floating above the water. But still breathtaking nonetheless. As a reward for finishing the climb, we not only got a little snack break, but also got to jump into the refreshingly cold water a few times … of course only a bit of peer-pressuring from Amber, because she’s more of the wild person compared to the super timid me. The amazing thing about swimming in a lake like this one is how amazing clear the water is and how good the water feels on your skin. Thankfully by the time we had enough fun in the water and started to get cold from the glacial melt that is in Lake Colchuck, the layer of haze managed to drift away and the full beauty of the region that is called Enchantments for good reason finally started to reveal its true magic. It was perfect timing as the beautiful late afternoon light started hitting the mountains, making for picture perfect views. So it probably took even longer to actually go down since I started to take even more photos, but who wouldn’t in such a beautiful area of alpine wilderness.