Circle Lake

I backpacked into Circle Lake this weekend, to help my dad collect unusual alpine flowers for the University of Washington herbarium. It was a great trip, and I will post more photos later, but I thought this view was/is spectacular. The last time I was at this spot with my dad, he was 82, and I thought it was his last trip there. Surprise, he was back there this weekend, at 86! And he did great! For perspective, to reach this spot, we had to hike about 6 miles on trails, and about 2 miles off trail on rugged terrain. That route includes 4700 feet of elevation gain. I remain impressed with his strength, balance and agility, and his thorough knowledge of Washington State wildflowers, shrubs, and trees.