Quote of the year:

“I can’t believe you hiked to Merritt Lake with pneumonia,” Gro said in September. Merritt Lake is a surprisingly steep, very difficult hike.

“I had one working lung,” I quipped. “I just bore down with willpower.” On the hike, I didn't understand why I felt so tired. The next day, I was diagnosed with pneumonia.

Arriving at the lake, Karen and I found a private cove and stopped for lunch.

“Go ahead,” we told Gro and Susan who wanted to climb a higher ridge. After lunch, Karen explored while I rested by the water. I was so inert, trout swam close to me in the shallows. That’s when I got this photo of a Dolly Varden trout in Merritt Lake. There's merit in stillness.

In 2018, I hiked 247 miles with 42,545 feet of elevation gain (and loss). Not bad at age 65. We started in January and ended in December on snowshoes. Thick wildfire smoke derailed hiking in July and August, the best time of the year.

Hardest hike: Fourth of July trail in a driving snowstorm with high winds. Ice pellets drilled my face. “I’m not having any fun,” I told Karen. “I am,” she replied. That shut me up. Shortly after that, I convinced Karen to turn around. Five miles with 2,500' gain. 4/17/18.

Favorite hike: Janus Lake with three women. Nearing the lake we dawdled, gorging on large, plump, mountain blueberries. Climb to a pass and descend steeply to the lake. Six and a half miles, 1,500' gain. 8/28/18.

Photos:

1. Snowshoeing Ingalls Creek trail in January.
2. Enchantments and Mt. Stuart from Tronsen Ridge.
3. Icicle Gorge hike with three girls I previously mentored.
4. Mt. Stuart and Wenatchee Mountains from Teanaway Ridge.
5. Pacific Crest Trail above Stevens Pass.
6. Dolly Varden trout in Merritt Lake.
7. Golden Week. Northern Larch trees are one of only two conifers in North America that drop their needles in the fall. They grow in North Central WA between 4,000 and 8,000' elevation on north-facing slopes.
8. Wild honeysuckle.
9. Strong wind gusts pushed me sideways on the ridge. "Take off your pack and get down," Karen said. Crawled shakily to large rocks at the edge. Leaned against the wind.
10. Extremely rare, Tweedy's Lewesia flowers only grow in North Central Washington at certain elevations and exposures.
11. Golden Week in October at Lake Marion or Lake Clara, 6,000'. Nobody can figure it out. See the glorious photo below. We can only post 10 photos.