Backpacking White Pine Lake

I have been wanting to go backpacking all summer long but at first it was finding the people that would want to go with me and then my shoulder happened. Well, Alex and I decided it had to happen before school started and this week was it! Mike from country dancing and Nate also joined us. Ryker came along as well and did a great job packing his own pack!

Here we are all fresh and ready to go.

At first Ryker didn't know what to do with his pack! He was moving awkwardly and slow. But about 200 yards into it he caught on and from then on out was great.
The hike is only about 3.8 miles and very easy. It was about all I could do with my shoulder however. Towards the end of the hike I could feel my shoulder/arm throbbing and I was glad to be rid of my pack. I'll just have to do the longer ones I want to do in the fall when my shoulder is completely healed.
We got to White Pine Lake around 2pm and had plenty of time to set up camp and enjoy the afternoon. The boys took to fishing and Alex and I went swimming! The water was cold but manageable. Ryker figured out that he could swim and had fun doing laps out to us in the water and then back to shore. We enjoyed the sun and just talking. Mike went for a hike up to the ridges above the lake. He said he could have kept on going higher but it was getting late.
We had foil dinners and some fish for dinner. They turned out great and the fish was great until Ryker got a lick at it and then none of us wanted much more. Ryker was dead tired a the end of the day. He had done great all day at staying close and coming when called. I think he is going to be coming with me on more hikes now that he can pack his own water, etc.

I slept okay. There were a few interruptions including Ryker gone missing. Next time I think I'll do that a little different. But the sun rose to find us ready for another day of fun. Alex and I decided to build our own raft to take us across the lake. Mike helped us gather the right sized wood and we got all the rope we had in camp to lash it together. The finished product was beautiful on shore.
Getting it into the water was another task and once it was in it floated like a buoy. But then we got on and it sunk! We could sit on it and were suspended about a foot under the water. So it worked in theory but next time we're going to need bigger logs! About the same time Nate had been fishing on the other side of the lake and found a big raft that had already been built and was floating there. He and Ryker boarded the raft and got it out into the middle of the lake where Nate enjoyed the fishing. Alex and I swam around, I fished a little with Nate and then got Ryker off the raft so he wouldn't destroy it or hurt himself between the loose logs.

We had lunch, packed up camp and got out of there right around 2pm. The first part of the hike back was switch-backs but once we got over that it was a nice walk back to the car.

It was fun to be in that beautiful wilderness and just take some time off. I'm thankful my shoulder lasted the adventure. In the fall I want to do a bigger hike with Ben. Only fun things to come!