During the summer, Wednesday nights are often a chance for me to get out after work.
I leave the beige box behind and within an hour or so I am somewhere wonderful.
A place that is too crowded on a weekend becomes a delight during the week.
And makes me appreciate my adopted home that much more.
Diamond Lake is such a place.
A sub-alpine lake tucked away in the Indians Peaks. And a place I rarely go to anymore because it is much too busy on a Saturday.
On a rainy weekday with lots of daylight?
It was perfect.
My friends Mickey, Mark and myself headed up to the trailhead. We saw our first, and only, wildlife along the road: A mother fox with two kits.
We parked and made our way up the trail.
The overcast and drizzly early evening light, with the snow-capped ridge in front of us, reminded me of Glacier National Park.
And the snow melt made any stream flow quite rapidly!
And though I have countless photos of both blue columbine and glacier lilies, I can’t help but stop and take photos of them.
After some minor post-holing, the moody Diamond Lake was reached.
The rain started coming down and the temps were dropping. I changed into my thermal layer, gloves and rain mitts. It was time to head down and back to the car.
Beer and pizza called. And was enjoyed. The hike and the post-trip nosh made the work week a bit more enjoyable.