Summer seems to be coming late to the Pacific Northwest, which means there is still a lot of snow in the mountains. All the rain also makes it less attractive to go hiking. My parents and I planned to go on one hike, but pulled the plug in the morning due to rain. But this last Friday, my Mom and I decided to go regardless of the weather.

The forecast was for party cloudy skies, chance of rain with clearing in the afternoon. My Mom needs to break in her new hiking boots for when she and my father go hiking through Switzerland and Austria in July. So we headed out early and drove North.

I was a little worried about my injury. I have a torn calf muscle, but my physical therapist did an impressive tape job the day before. I didn't know you could tape a calf like you do an ankle. Check it out.

We went to hike Lake Twenty Two. To say the surroundings were lush and green would be an understatement. The ferns are budding and everything seems to be growing forth. We did not however escape the rain. The majority of the hike up was in a drizzle, which turned to a pounding rain as we reached the lake. We didn't linger long, grabbed a quick bite under a tree and turned right back around. As we descended, the rain let up and the clouds began to burn off.

Truthfully, I didn't mind the rain. Hiking in the old growth forest provided some cover and the rivers were over flowing. Some of the meadows were even flooded. At times the trail was a small stream. It's just another experience and it makes you appreciate the sunny days more.

Upon returning to the car, it was still early so we decided to do a second, short hike. We drove up the road another 12 or so miles to Four Mountain Peaks(I think) where we hiked to some snow caves. The mountains here jut straight up and have multiple waterfalls coming from a big snow shelf up above. Another beautiful hike with slightly better weather. I was also very impressed with the trail maintenance.

Looking forward to going on more hikes this summer as the weather improves.