Now that it's officially autumn, I keep expecting cold rainy weather, but over the past several days it has felt like summer is having a brief revival. The pressure is back on to get outside and make the most of sunny weekends while they last! With that in mind, this past Saturday we headed for Melakwa Lake. Unfortunately, we got a very late start, which meant parking over a quarter mile from the trail and having hardly any time to relax at the lake. However, our late start meant we had some beautiful late afternoon light once we reached the lake. Andy really had to push me to leave the lake, since I kept stopping for "just one more photo!" I was extremely envious of the couple that reached the lake shortly after us with plans to spend the night. Andy and I both agreed we'd like to come back to camp in one of the rather impressive sites we found while exploring the area.
Sunday was a mellow Alpine Trail book club meeting at the Japanese Garden in Seattle, followed by brunch in the sunshine at a nearby bakery. Since we hadn't been hiking in a while, Andy and I were both sore from our hike Saturday, so this lovely morning was the perfect way to recover while still getting outside. The Japanese gardens were beautiful too - with the leaves just beginning to turn vibrant shade of yellow and red. I've been wanting to visit the Japanese Gardens for years now, and I'm glad book club finally provided me with a reason to!
