Kate and I were on our way to brunch at the acclaimed Salish Lodge when Geoff called. He wanted to know if we were interested in going for a hike. It would be mid-afternoon by the time we were done our moderate feast -- well past the time I usually begin my hikes. However, neither Geoff nor Kate seemed concerned at the late start so we made plans to take a quick jaunt in the woods. We chose Annette Lake -- from maps and descriptions it seemed like an easy and worthwhile destination.

We arrived at the trailhead around 2:30 and hit the path. The day was sunny and hot -- an unfortunate rarity this summer. The trail wound into the woods, climbing slowly through the greenery. There was one moderately steep section that was bad enough to elicit some moderate complaints from our intrepid heroes, but for the most part the hike was an easy walk through the forest. It took about 2 hours to reach our destination.

Once at the lake, we broke out our snacks. Whoops. We only had two Clif Bars to share between the three of us. It was getting close to dinner time and the three of us were pretty darn hungry. We carefully divided up the food and enjoyed the scenery for a while.

There was a little bit of snow near the lake. Geoff gathered up enough to make a snowball and made some menacing gestures but it's hard to look threatening with a goofy grin on your face...

With our stomachs growing ever-emptier, talk soon turned to food. I was dying for hot dogs; Kate wanted hamburgers. We all wished they had vending machines at popular National Forest destinations. We turned our backs to the lake and began the descent.

As usual, the return trip flew by. We were walking quickly, and the easy descent meant we weren't getting tired. The downhill grade was taking its toll on my knees, however, and I had to remember to stop occasionally to rest. It took us about an hour to return to the car, and we headed off to the local grocery store in search of some barbeque-able goodies.

The lesson learned was a rather minor one this time out. Basically, it's about time. First, that hiking doesn't need to be a big affair. It can take as much time as you want, so starting late in the day doesn't have to be an issue. The other thing I learned -- or, more accurately, the thing of which I became more aware -- is that going down doesn't take anywhere near as long as going up. Sounds obvious, I know, but it's never something I really considered when planning my hikes.