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This past Monday we took a break from preparing to travel around the world, and did something we love to do. We went hiking! We are fortunate to live only an hour away from the Mt. Hood National Forest. Since this might be the last time we will have a chance to enjoy the beauty of Oregon, we have been trying new hikes whenever we can find the time, which is not as often as we had hoped. So, with our outdated guidebook in hand, we headed toward the general area of the Burnt Lake trailhead. Unfortunately, forest service roads are not well marked and we spent over an hour wandering around the bumpy and unpaved roads completely lost. We kept having flashbacks to the mountain roads in Costa Rica. But in Costa Rica, we had a well programmed navigational GPS unit that always knew the way. We eventually found the trailhead and started the uphill climb through the thick evergreen forest to the lake. Our daughter complained bitterly about the uphill climb, but after reaching the beautiful lake, she had a great time finding crawdads (aka crayfish) and chasing them with a stick. The hike back down went swiftly and Sydney ran most of the way like a wild mountain goat. Downhill is definitely easier and we completed the 7+ mile hike feeling very satisfied with marking off one more new hike. The photo is of Mt. Hood as seen across from Burnt Lake.
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