Two hikes to Crofton lake

A chill in the air late last week culminated in a few flakes of snow as Bonnie and I headed up the escarpment for a Sunday afternoon hike - not enough to end the hike, but enough to be aware of time passing lest the road back home be slippery.  A slight dusting was all we got here in Crofton, and by Monday afternoon the roads were bare and the temperature moderate.  And so on Tuesday, we headed up to Crofton Lake.

"Up" is the operative word here - though not a particularly steep hike, the change in elevation in the ten or so blocks from shore to trailhead is sufficient to change the landscape.  We had barely started along the trail, when we ran into some white stuff.

Hey, what's that stuff on the ground?

S N O W!
Zoomie time for Keaghan!

And those few days of sub-zero temperatures had once again frozen the lake solid.  Telltale footprints tracked across the surface, and the remains of someone's campfire skated on the ice.

Keaghan is a smart dog - though he loves to play in the water, he stayed off the ice and opted to check out the view from a safer perch.

It was a grey day, with the feeling of rain in the air, so we didn't linger for long and soon headed back down the trail.

Eddie found an ice-covered pond on the return trip and the-dog-who-won't-walk-on-frosty-seawalks and who has an iffy cruciate decided to test the strength of his mama's heart by trotting right out on the ice as if it was nothing different from a living room rug.  Eddie don't do that to me!

Hey Mom, lookit me skating!!

No sooner had we returned home than the heavens opened and the rain spilled out.  And poured and poured and poured.

So it was with great surprise that I awoke to glorious blue skies and light-jacket weather this morning.  I immediately contacted Liz and Sasha to invite them to join Eddie and me on a walk back up to the lake so I could photograph the melting ice under warm blue skies.

I think I got Sasha out of bed.  At least, she looked a little like I do before my morning coffee.

Don't you dare put that
photo on your blog, Auntie Jean! 

But it was worth it.  The ice was still solid under a coating of slush, and the light played with the stark leafless trees and strawlike rushes, while snow-dusted peaks could be seen in the distance.

Sasha could wait no longer for her coffee and decided a good mudpuddle would have to suffice.

Pfffffft!

Such beautiful hikes, beautiful climate here on the east coast of Vancouver Island.
Have I mentioned that I live in the best place on earth?