An Early Season Hike

Barclay Lake 4/29/07 4 miles

To round out my weekend of hikes, I took my friend M.M. on a short but sweet hike to Barclay Lake. Only a scant 2 miles in to the lake with a minimal elevation gain it's a wonderful way to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon. Barclay Lake is overlooked in many hiking guides, but it's not to be missed.

I first discovered this little alpine gem nestled in thick forest when my father died. After a week of funeral preparations and mourning, I was ready for a hike. However Michael, worried about my physical endurance after such an ordeal, limited our outing to no more than 5 miles round trip and as flat as possible. I stumbled across Barclay Lake on the forest service website and thought it fit the bill perfectly. And in more than one way it did.

My father was one of my greatest inspirations when it came to both my love of photography and my love of the outdoors. A hike to a little lake nestled amongst the trees at the base of towering monoliths of the proposed Wild Sky Wilderness Area gave me time to reflect on what all dad had left me with. I left there with a renewed sense of where I wanted to be in life and the desire to accomplish my goals.

As M.M. is one of my best friends, I wanted to share this special hike with her on this April Sunday afternoon. We meandered through the woods, over and past blow-downs from the previous winter's storms, stopping to examine a few wildflowers and admire the lush greenery around us. After crossing Barclay Creek, it's only a short climb to the lake shore, almost hidden in the thick greenery. Snow lingered here still, but we made our way to a little log that over looked the lake. The clouds were lying low on the mountains so we weren't able to gaze on immense Barclay Mountain. But that didn't matter to us - we quietly sat on our log, eating cheese and crackers admiring the view, the silence, and each other's company. It wasn't until a few raindrops splattered on our faces that we packed up and head back out to the trail head.