Sunday, September 13, 2009

Our golden pond: Lake Pend Oreille



Yesterday Bill, Annie and I went on a six-mile hike on the Gold Hill trail southeast of Sandpoint.

Our goal: get to the top, find a geocache and enjoy the "14-carat view."

Bill and I have hiked the trail before but never to the top.

We'll all agree with the geocache planter that the trail definitely leads to a spectacular vista of Lake Pend Oreille and its surrounding mountains.

We could see all of Sandpoint, east to Kootenai, northwest to Roman Nose, the Seven Sisters and Chimney Rock in the Selkirk Mountain Range.

The view also allows the eye to travel west past Dover toward Laclede.

Crossing the lake below is the "Long Bridge," legendary as the prime reason thousands have, over many decades, have chosen Sandpoint as their home.

"I drove over that bridge, and I fell in love." That's a pretty standard comment for most imports to the Sandpoint lifestyle.

And, I couldn't resist while sitting on a log snacking on dried fruit, jerky and cookies, announcing to Bill and Annie, "Except for those long months of winter, I feel so lucky to have been born here.

The secret is that locals, like me, have fallen in love thousands of times in their lifetime---every single time they cross that bridge.

It's an infinite love affair, and yesterday's hike to the "14-carat view" on the Gold Hill trail simply sealed the bond all the more.

2 comments:

Amanda S said...

Beautiful view. I hope I get the opportunity do that hike some day!

Janis Puz said...

Next visit, will you take me on that hike? (Well, that is if there aren't any grizzly warnings!)