Hog Lake in the FIsh Trap BLM, WA

We scored a spot near Hog Lake in the Fish Trap BLM near Spokane, Washington.
 

There are only a few spot for dispersed camping in this spot unless you are willing to hike into a remote spot, but we gave it a shot and it payed off.  We arrived on Friday at 4:00 on Memorial Weekend and we were indeed lucky.

 
 Since it was a holiday weekend we chose a sight a bit of a ways from the lake so that we wouldn't be surrounded by other campers but it was indeed a quiet weekend.

  We were surrounded only by nature!

There were just us, a girls college rugby team (who were incredibly polite AND quiet), a few widely dispersed campers and a few day use folks to share this space.

Hog lake is a perfect lake for kayaking.  The wind could be howling around us on the bluffs but below on the lake there were just mild ripples on the water.  It sits down in the bottom of a coulee so it is protected from the wind by the tall basalt cliffs that surround it. 

We paddled the length of the lake several times in the time that we were here.  










We watched the birds swooping among the cliffs and were even able to watch an bald eagle pair soaring overhead.








 

 

Hog Lake Falls

We paddled to the northeast end of the lake where a waterfall carves through the steps and tumbles along the layers of basalt.  Earlier in the Spring the water fall is more impressive but the volume is reduced as summer approaches.
 

 




Hog lake is in the  Cheney- Palouse Scablands of Eastern Washington. The unique landscape resulted from the ravaging waters that carved the landscape from basalt during the massive Missoula Floods.

 I have been reading a number of interesting books regarding the cataclysmic floods that carved  through Central Washington.   The most interesting book is " Bretz's Flood"  The Remarkable Story of a Rebel Geologist and the World's Greatest Flood, by John Soennichsen. 

I love to read about the history and geology of an area that we are visiting. 

We also saw our share of wildlife;

ME first!!!

The  Double-crested Cormorant delighted us with his crane pose. 

 




Do you suppose he watched the Karate Kid
Movie and is practicing his version of the mae
tobi geri pose?

(Actually, he strikes this pose to dry his wings after fishing.)

We even had a visitor to camp...

A late even paddle at sunset was scenic and peaceful.

And to all.... a good nite!!