Hike - June Lake, Gifford Pinchot NF, Washington

Hiked with friends and Buddy Boy (the dog) to June Lake on July 4, 2023. The hike was an easy 2.9 mile out-and-back from the trailhead. Not surprisingly, it was somewhat busy with hikers and dogs. 

June Lake is located on the south side of Mount St. Helens just inside Mount St. Helens NVM (National Volcanic Monument). The trailhead, however, is located outside the NVM in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. 

June Lake is beautiful, surrounded by trees and lava fields with a 70-foot waterfall on the far side. We had hoped to get a view of Mount St. Helens, but were only able to get a glimpse of the mountain from along the trail. 

Being somewhat determined, we decided we needed to find a spot with a view of Mount St. Helens. So, we drove down forest road 83 and up forest road 81 to a spot where we were able to find a picnic spot with a great view of the mountain and some gnarly lava fields in the foreground 

View of Mt St Helens from forest road 81

Buddy Boy wading in June Lake

Wide angle view of June Lake 

Retirement - July 31, 2019

July 31, 2019 was my last day working for the U.S.Forest Service after 33 years. I began my career with the Forest Service as an Ecologist on the Six  

Rivers National Forest on June 1986 right after graduating from Humboldt State University with a Master of Science degree in Natural Resources. 

My dream job was to work as a field Ecologist,

riding horses in pristine wilderness areas, gathering data and, of course, saving the planet. As a Forest Service Ecologist, I was occasionally able to ride horses in pristine wilderness areas but in reality, my job primarily required 

a more conventional method of getting around in the field, i.e. hiking.  After working as an Ecologist for about six years, I discovered there was a real need for people to develop databases that could be

used to compile and analyze the data that was being collected. At that time, the Forest Service was just getting started with computers and needed people with database skills. So, seeing an opportunity, I switched gears and became an Information Technology Specialist. My job 

as an IT Specialist included developing Forest and Region wide databases that were used to better manage Forest Service resources. In some ways, this time was probably the most satisfying period of my Forest Service career. Eventually, after 13 years on the Six Rivers National Forest I changed positions and  moved to Vancouver, Washington where I worked as a System

Administrator and provided user computer support on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. After about three years on the Gifford Pinchot NF, I moved to  the Portland Forestry Sciences Lab in Portland, Oregon where I worked as a the System Administrator and provided user computer support. After three years at the Portland Forestry Science Lab, I moved to the Region 6 Regional Office in Portland, Oregon where I again worked as the System Administrator and provided user computer support until I retired on July 31, 2019.

Retirement is still a little surreal and hasn’t quite set in. The left side of my brain enjoyed the challenge of working as a computer System Administrator but I am now looking forward to challenging my right-brain. I’m also looking forward to lots of

travel adventures, rediscovering old hobbies, bicycling and spending more time with family and friends (including the furry four legged kind).