Erik wanted to change up the hike this week and do a little more....so he showed up at my house with a plan. Some time ago we hiked into one of the Alpine Lakes (Granite Lake) and found an old boat that looked like it had been sitting around for years. Erik's plan...he bought a plug (missing last time we were here) and also picked up a couple of raft oars at garage sales - let's hike back up there and get that thing out in the water he stated. All I could think was that I haven't thought of doing something like that since I was a kid - search for an old boat and try to make it seaworthy...yea, sure.
We were a bit concerned that Bear might overload the boat or cause us to tip so we left him on shore - he was not happy! He decided to swim along side of us for as long as he could. I was concerned about that to say the least so I dragged him into the boat - all 100 pounds plus twenty pounds of wet fur. He soaked me pretty good. So with all four of us, two kooks and two dogs, we started the second part of the biathlon and rowed around the lake.
“Bear”, Gary’s big Lab
Well, about 3/4 way around the lake we decided to turn this adventure into a dinner cruise. Out came the beer, chips, Bosnian sausage, and kielbasa. Yup, the biathlon ended and we just 
floated...and floated. Finally with the winds picking up and white caps causing us to rock we headed to shore. We stowed the boat back in the weeds and then toasted the end to the Biathlon and dinner cruise with a few sips of blackberry brandy. Not too much though as we had 5.5 miles to hike back to the trailhead. This was a great one and enjoyed by all.
Erik and Indy
This is sort of a paddling story. It is written by my mountain climbing brother-in-law Gary Richer and features his buddy Erik and their two dogs,; Erik’s dog Indy and Gary’s 100 pound black lab, Bear.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Biathlon and Dinner Cruise
Today’s Guest Blogger is my brother-in-law, Gary Richer of West Bend, Washington
