Mineral Ridge, Lake Coeur D'Alene

The end of track season is in sight! The return of Erik to these hiking posts is coming. In the meantime. . . last week while Erik was in Portland for the Big Sky championships,  his sister Lynette came up for a friends wedding. We had the chance to show her around our adorable tiny town and check out our new house, then head up to ID for a quick hike. I was trying to decide where to take her so I asked her if she preferred to hike along rivers to water features or up to the tops of mountains with nice views.  Her answer was that she liked hikes in the shade! So we found just that in our hike up Mineral Ridge.

We let Tater run around in the grass for a while at the trailhead before we climbed up to the ridge. She was so muddy and dirty. Now that she is so mobile and we try to spend as much time outside as possible she is always so dirty. That is how kids should be at the end of everyday. Her pants all are extremely worn at the knees and some already have holes and his little bare feet are always brown. I love it! She lives to explore the world around her and especially loves being outside.

 

 The hike was gorgeous. The perfect quick workout right outside of town and right off of the freeway with easy access. The 3 mile loop takes you back into the woods before climbing along the entire ridge with views on both sides, then drops quickly down some steep switchbacks. Even though it was a toasty 80 degrees, the climb was shaded the entire way with a nice cool breeze coming off the lake. We both enjoyed the spiritual renewal that such beauty brings into our lives. Tate explored at the top and had a good time running around with Auntie Lynette.

After the hike we met up at Matt and Brenda's house for the best mango, avacado, grilled chicken salad I have ever had! It was such a treat to have family in town, Lynette is the first person to come visit since we moved to Washington, we love having visitors and we miss all of our friends and family, so anyone else looking for a good trip come on up!