I have no idea how many times we go here but it seems like it has become our annual spring hike.  The first one to get into hiking shape.  When many of the other local hikes are still closed due to snow this one is always open.  I think we did this in record time up and down in less than 2 hours with a swim in the middle.  One thing about our hikes, Job chooses a pet project that he talks about on every hike that year.  Last year was his recumbent bike that he wanted to design and build.  The year before that it was an all terrain cart that could be used on hikes.  I can't remember the year before that but he does.  It's filed away in his head.  This year, his pet project is building his own hovercraft with a house box fan and a car battery.  He hikes with me at the back of the line, usually 5 to 10 minutes behind everyone.  Then he describes his process and how he's going to build it.  We talk about possible design problems, and the materials that he's going to use.  It usually takes the whole hike and then the next one and the next one after that.  At the end of hiking season we still haven't built anything. Let's see how it goes this year.
On this hike, John told the kids to bring their swimsuits.  The only one who did was Lona.  I really wasn't thinking it was swimming weather but John was convinced that it was.  So once we arrived at the lake, both he and Lona changed into their suits and into the slowly waded in.  Skagit had no problem at all, he just didn't want to go in with anyone.  He swam out to get his ball but when Lona swam over to him, we noticed that he was looking over his shoulder and tried to swim around and faster than her.  The next time he wouldn't go into the water until Lona was quite far away from him.  He's kind of funny like that.

Lona made her mark: a smiley face