Shane, Jason, and Brian were up bright and early on Thursday morning to sneak in a guys-only adventure, hauling the inflatable paddle boards two miles up-river for a ride on the rapids.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the plan, given that parts of the river were pretty fast and log-packed, so it felt awfully good when I eventually saw these three floating back toward us on the horizon!
Apparently there was a brief moment at a log jam when Shane feared for his life, but other than that, they nailed it!
Meanwhile, back at camp, Jules was gettin’ her baby-fix with little M before he hit the road back to Seattle.
I wish my hair looked like this after three days without a shower!
We packed lunches and headed east late in the morning to check out the Washington Pass overlook. Â I read this was one of the best places to take in the view of the North Cascades. Â Not too shabby…
All this beauty had these guys feelin’ the brotherly love!
She fits right in, doesn’t she?
From Washington Pass, we made the short drive over to the Blue Lake trailhead for another trek through the woods.  We got off to a roaring start, as Jules was determined to keep pace with Gryff (whose nickname is “The Mountain Goat”, since he’s such a stellar little hiker).
Soon enough, though, Juliette was tucked into the backpack with a treat, where she could enjoy the view from Shane’s shoulders. Â This was my favorite part of the trail, where we came out of the woods into this rugged, tree-lined meadow.
Back out of the backpack and into my arms.
And…back in.
The final ascent to the lake took all we had, but finally, we caught site of the water. Â And snow. Â It was freezing up there!
We all huddled together on a rock to eat a quick lunch, wolfing down our sandwiches just as raindrops started to fall.
This guy (Gryffin’s namesake) watched us from a distance.
We hightailed it down the mountain after lunch, eager to get to warmer, dryer ground.
Juliette was pooped – by the time we reached the car, she had completely slumped against Shane’s back, out like a light.
We made a quick trip into Newhalem for firewood and ice, and then spent the rest of the afternoon back at camp, out on the water.
Friday happened to be Jason’s birthday, so we toasted to him with campfire margaritas.
And s’mores, of course. Â Shane’s eyes in this picture! Â Can you tell that his marshmallows were whisky-soaked?
Coming up: Â a whole lotta pictures of us doing a whole lotta nothing!