Lake Marie

I'm a sucker for hikes. Seth knew this when he suggested that he and I go on a hike he and his family discovered a few years ago. Who cares that I'm in the third trimester with our fourth child?! When the opportunity presented itself (read: Seth's parents offered to have a sleepover with our girls), we drove to Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks' cabin in Island Park, stayed the night and started out to Lake Marie the next morning.

The 8-mile hike didn't disappoint. We saw spectacular views,

Anyone know how this natural terracing came to pass? We're curious.

gorgeous wildflowers,

It sprinkled on us for about half of the way in to the lake, so I shot some rain-sprinkled lupines.

interesting fossils

A fossilized snail shell we saw on the way out.

and other natural phenomena.

A twisted stump we saw on our way back.

We also, of course, saw the lake.

Seth and Andrea at Lake Marie. The run-off streams running into the lake are bone-chillingly cold.

Andrea and Seth above the lake on our way out. It's hard taking self-portraits with your camera balanced on a rock and set on timer mode.

Seth above the lake.

Andrea, at 28 weeks, above the lake.

Although my right hip ached like crazy any time we were going uphill (that's what happens when your babies sink straight to the bottom of your torso), I had a few bouts of contractions on the way, and I ended up getting sunburned despite the careful sunscreening I SWORE I did before we left the van, I loved it and would do it again. Which is good. Because Wednesday I'm doing a 5-miler in Yellowstone.