Lakeshore Trail, Priest Lake, Idaho
Lakeshore Trail is in Appendix A of 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest: From Beaver Creek Campground at the northwest end of Priest Lake, Trail 294 heads south along the lake, with bridge crossings over five creeks, to Granite Creek in Reeder Bay. Hikers could carry packs and camp at several beaches off this trail.
The original plan was to hide away on Mount Spokane for hiking and sleep at the Spokane Mountaineers Chalet, a privilege reserved for mountaineers only. Luckily for the chalet, but unlucky for us, the committee that looks after the chalet was able to obtain a contractor to repair the roof. The scheduling of this rehab project canceled our reservation. This did not hinder a group of brilliant and adventurous women, though; we ended up at Priest Lake and staying at Hill’s Resort.
We first hiked the Lakeshore Trail, point-to-point, an easy, “chill” saunter in the woods beneath a bright blue sky and fierce autumn colors. I had taken a break from hiking with groups, and it was quite a shock to be reminded how noisy women are when there are more than 2 or 3 well-acquainted people sharing the trail.
It was a beautiful evening on one of the most beautiful lakes, watching a wedding party do really dumb things, eating endless vegetarian tacos, and watching women I know love one another and make wonderful memories. During this event, I was wrapping up a stint of leading a horrible women-only hiking group, and although this event was wholesome, it helped me confirm that leading a for-profit hiking group (it is for-profit, yet I was a volunteer) was not only not right for me, it is unethical to charge for access to community and education at all.
One of my favorite things in the world is to begin a day knowing I have no earthly responsibilities and I can live in the moment at the pace that my aching body is asking for and knowing that it is not hurting anything to honor that pace. Some of us hiked directly from the cabin the following morning and meandered along the Priest Lake Beach Trail. Priest Lake is a pretentious little Idaho town full of large homes owned by very wealthy people who only use those homes a few times a year. The Beach Trail goes along the lakeside of many of those homes and a little historical site called The Priest Lake Museum. If you are already there like we were, it is worth walking, but otherwise, there are many other places around Priest Lake that are well worth your time.
However, something worth going out of your way to do up at Priest Lake is the Priest Lake Multisports Marathon, or 50k or half-marathon, in the fall. It is a combination of trail running and road running, with beautiful views the entire way. I have not done it in a few years, but I hope to cross this finish line again soon. Maybe I will not ever get to see a race again as a participant. It is a very hard thing to accept that the things that kept you going before might be out of your wheelhouse now and that it is not your fault; therefore isn’t something I can just fix to get back to it. For a few years, I said, “This race will be my last one.” And it was always a lie. If I gave it up voluntarily, I might make a graceful exit and feel like it is more in my control. Yet, here I am, wishing for more feisty miles with finish lines.
