springtime in paradise

Come take a walk with me through my paradise.
I have wanted to hike to Ice Lake since I saw the sign, but until recently it was truly iced and snowed in. It is a short hike to the lake from the trail head, maybe 1/2 mile.

I know it is sideways, but I didn't take a landscape pict of the lake... anywho... doesn't the other side look lovely.... lets go! (I was hiking all alone, but had my bear spray, promise)

this path ended, but it joined with another... so I went.

I walked around the lake, saw loads of flowers and no bears. (I did keep a really good lookout though, as it is bear season and I was alone. I did see a family of four and passed them. They were going the same way I was, so I felt a little safer. I came to this creek on the other side of the lake...

but found my bridge in the form of lodge-pole pines which had washed up together (I guess)

Continued walking ... I didn't know where i was heading, but the day was warm with a very strong wind and I wanted to keep going. The area was thick with new growth lodge-pole pines as this area was burned in the 1988 fires.
I saw a sign for little gibbon falls (or something like it) and decided to go that way as it seemed like it may be headed back to the road and my car.

aren't these cliffs -little as they are - beautiful. The lodgepole pine has a very shallow root system, and just falls over. I will post pictures that I have taken from all over the park of what I have named, "God's pick-up-sticks"

Crossed the Gibbon on THIS log, it kept moving and I thought I would end up in the water.

I have pictures of the falls, which was awesome, but they are all portrait style and won't load properly...

so over the hill and through the woods... then I see this view... jaw dropping meadow, all to myself on a perfect spring day. I have named it, Paradise.

the path turned to mud...

  then to water...

 and I got a little wet and muddy! YAY

The path did end up coming out at the road about 1/4-1/2 mile from my car... so I just walked up the road, trying not to get hit by idiots... I didn't :-)

Thanks for coming with me!