Well, we weren’t exactly on the lake, but we had a wonderful day around one. We weren’t precisely in Coeur d’Alene either. After leaving Montana, the next stop on our trip through the Pacific Northwest was the tiny town of Athol, Idaho, where we would spend three nights at Farragut State Park.
Athol and the State Park is about thirty miles north of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. When we told friends and family that we would be in this area, the immediate response always came back “incredibly beautiful.” Friends and family proved right.
Our visit here gave us a chance to do some hiking and take in some of that beauty. Farragut State Park is a vast campground, with large campsites situated under big Douglas Fir trees and other evergreens, providing campers with plenty of privacy. At the southern tip of the Park sits Lake Pend Oreille, a 43 mile long, crystal clear body of water, carved by a glacier during the last ice age. At 1,150 feet deep, Lake Pend Oreille is the fifth deepest lake in the United States.
After spending the previous evening at one of the casinos in Coeur d’Alene, Helen and I agreed we needed different recreation activities for the remainder of our visit. She suggested we take a four-mile hike along the shore of Lake Pend Oreille. I was all in.
The weather on this day couldn’t have been better. Clear skies and temperatures in the lower 70’s made for perfect hiking, and the sailboats were out in force, taking advantage of the light breezes moving up the valley created by the Coeur d’Alene Mountains on either side of the lake.
Paddleboarders and kayakers also dotted the lake’s surface, with none of the paddlers in a hurry to go anywhere. One paddleboarder even paused in mid-stroke to take a call on her cell phone. She was careful to hold it with both hands.
Just like the boaters, we took our time squeezing out every bit of every viewpoint. At the mid-point of the trail near the Bayview Overlook, a rock carving reminded us why we spend time camping and hiking. I can assure readers; we’re not bored.
The walk back to the parking lot was just as fantastic as the hike out. A paddleboarding duo kept up with us for a portion of the return. We made it back to Lucy in plenty of time for dinner around the campfire. The star-filled sky took over when the sun went down.
It’s all good when you’re Easin’ Along.