In the latter part of August and in early September, I still got out to hike, paddle, or play tennis every day, but if the weather was iffy or the time available was short, I chose a local hike which would take 60 to 90 minutes. I have scores of routes for such occasions, three of which are shared here.

From the top of Aberdeen there are trails and routes on the slopes of Coal Hill. These can be combined in a variety of ways. This was a loop route in the forest and on the grassland slopes Above Aberdeen.

Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption (more information):

above Aberdeen

on the shoulder of Coal Hill

the view to the North Thompson River

grassland slopes

Coal Hill

Makaoo Pond

the route back down

When I paddle one of the lakes (Stake, McConnell, Lodgepole, Lac le Jeune, Walloper, Paska, and Face) in the Lac le Jeune area, I will oftimes add a loop route on the Stake Lake Trails:

the Giant Firs Trail

douglas firs along the trail

the Marsh Trail

along the northern marsh

on Hoss

On a day when the weather is wet or iffy, I can be at the trailheads of Peterson Creek in a few minutes. A favorite route is the East Rim Loop (about 65 minutes).