A beautiful sunrise on a Saturday morning. Time to do some hiking.

I began at the edge of a large sub-alpine meadow south of Mt. Hood.

My first destination was Little Crater Lake, 100 feet wide, 45 feet deep and crystal blue to its very bottom where an artesian spring feeds the lake.

Another one-quarter mile led to an intersection with the Pacific Crest Trail. Turning south, I began a clockwise 12-mile loop hike around picturesque Timothy Lake.

The magnificent view of Mt. Hood over Timothy Lake has been one of the iconic scenes of the Pacific Northwest for many a year and has adorned numerous magazine covers.

Conditions have to be just right to capture a “good” photo of Mt. Hood reflected in the lake. I was lucky on all three counts. The early morning sky was blue, the mountain was covered with fresh snow and there was nary a ripple on the water. Even a slight breeze will remove the reflection from the lake.

The only downside was the number of blowdowns over the trail, especially near Mediation Point. I had to scramble around quite a few of them. But, that’s to be expected after the winter storms have left their damage.

Life continues to be good.