Good things come to those who get lost

I also wanted to get in some lake hikes this weekend.  I decided to head back toward Republic before going home in order to see what hiking trails I could find near some of the lakes on the Ferry County side.

The first lake on my list was Curlew Lake at Curlew Lake State Park; I figured that a State Park was bound to have some hiking trails.  Well, Curlew Lake is definitely developed more for the RV camping and fishing enthusiasts, but it did have a short interpretive loop hike.  I estimate that it was about 1 mile.

After that I headed south of Republic--Aaron had told me awhile back that Swan Lake had some hiking trails.  At first I was really disappointed--a kiosk at the lake said that the Swan Lake Loop trail was only 1.5 miles.  I put on my running shoes and decided that I'd better run it both directions to get in at least 3 miles, but I wasn't really looking forward to it.  Then I got about a mile in and saw a side trail that was labeled Ferry/Swan Lakes Loop!  That looked a lot more promising--a loop! and two lakes instead of just one!

Things went well at first.  I was afraid I'd lost the trail a few times, but then I'd find another directional marker (and once I was charged by an angry mother grouse!).  It was obviously not a heavily used trail.  After 40 minutes of running (and feeling pretty good for a change) I arrived at Ferry Lake.  Then I couldn't find any more markers.  I saw someone at the boat launch, so I decided to ask if he knew where the trail went from there.  He was standing in the lake looking at some ripples several feet farther out in the lake--and then a loon popped up from under the surface!  I have never seen a loon except in pictures!

The guy didn't know where the trail went, however.  He said he did it years ago, and that he, too, lost the route.  I went down what looked like the correct trail, but it was quickly too overgrown to follow.  I had no choice but to retrace my steps.  I never intended to go for a 10 mile run today, but seeing the loon made it all worthwhile.

After I made it back to Swan Lake (which included a run-in with the local bovine population plus my first lake swimming experience of this chilly summer) I drove back to Ferry Lake, hoping to get a picture of the loon.  I never did see it again, but I could hear it calling from the end of the lake--they are the coolest-sounding birds!

Today's mileage: 11
Lakes visited:  Curlew Lake, Swan Lake, Ferry Lake