first hike of the season

On the weekend we took our first hike of the season. It was a warm-up short hike around Buntzen Lake. We had invited red jane out for dinner since she's moving east at the end of the month, and I suggested she arrive a little earlier so we could go for a hike close by.

I thought it would be a bit cooler and muckier at Buntzen Lake, but it was fairly warm and quite dry.  The dry winter really made a difference. There was a little snow to be seen up on these peaks, but not much. It was also quite a bit busier in the park that I expected. It's a popular spot in the summer for BBQs and swimming, but I didn't think people would bother much with the lake in the spring.

I'm not sure what wildflower this is. If you know, let me know. The flowers remind me of a primrose, but I really have no idea what it could be.

 There's a suspension bridge at the lake's north end, just over an hour from the lake's south end where we started. The water was beautifully still.

 I took the photo from the suspension bridge.

View from the north beach.

 Back at the start, we crossed another little bridge over this very dry creek. It will be interested to see what other trails are like as we continue our hiking season.

It was great to be on a well maintained trail with lots of ups and downs, but nothing too steep to climb. I think this was an excellent warm-up for our future hikes. Perhaps we should make it our annual warm-up trail.  My legs were a little tired because I had also run 12 k that morning, so any more of an intense hike and someone would have had to carry me.

The next hike will be Diez Vista?