Hanging Valley

The fresh green of Hanging Valley is bright in the morning sun, greeting another day of adventure and blueberries!

A small lake along the trail is crystal clear

Fireweed is reflected in a still pond

Too quickly we get to the end of the valley, and our only direction now can be up

Caribou lichen is bright white

From the top of the ridge we spied a hidden lake, perched on a shelf high above the valley

…which turned out to be a not-so-hidden lake because we saw people jumping off the rocks into the cold clear water

The ridge we hiked on became knife-edged as it twisted higher

Nothing left to do but turn around and bound down to the lake

Shadow boxing is a friendly way to settle the score

Freeze-thaw cycles create perfectly round mounds in the vegetation

We tarried and picked blueberries, and didn't leave the valley until around 9. There is still plenty of light remaining, but the cool nights in late summer drive us to return home.