Secret Lake

Saturday, AFTER the tea party I went on an adventure with my friend Matt. Remember the apartment group date that I made the shrimp pot pies for? Matt was the guy I went on that date with. I didn't get any pictures then, but you can see one now.
Anywho, Matt and I both volunteer for the tutoring program. He usually goes on Thursdays and I usually go on Tuesday's, but from time to time we are there on the same night. A while back we were walking some of the kids home and one of the kids had a net. We asked if they had caught anything and they said no. It reminded me of when I was a kid. One of my FAVORITE summer activities was catching tadpoles at the creek in my neighborhood. I would do it for HOURS! I just couldn't get enough. I would bring a bucket to the creek and see how many tadpoles and frogs I could catch. I didn't use a net, just my hands. I would bring home the bucket and I had an aquarium that I would keep them in and watch them develop into cute little frogs. One time I found a turtle in the creek and brought it home. I wonder if my parents ever got tired of my obsession with animals and creatures. Anyway, just the thought of it brought back such great memories. I guess Matt was the same way. So we talked about doing it at some point this summer.
Well... Saturday was the day! He came and picked me up at 3pm and we set off for Salt Lake, then went up into the mountains to Alpine. Because we were so high up, it was a lot cooler (which was awesome because the days are getting VERY hot). It was SO beautiful up there. We brought a net and a bucket so we could catch tadpoles at the lake. I had never been there before (neither had he) so we both didn't know what to expect. It was a mile hike to the lake. A beautiful hike. Tons of streams and wildflowers. I loved it.
*We saw this little guy on our way up for the hike*

We got to the lake and we walked around looking for tadpoles. We didn't find any tadpoles... but what we did find were Salamanders! I had never seen one before! They are so cool. So we decided to catch Salamanders instead, which might be even cooler than catching tadpoles. They are fast little swimmers. We ended up catching 5. I caught two big ones, Matt caught two big ones and then Matt caught a little baby. I just couldn't stop staring at them. They look like little Dragon's. In fact.... they reminded me of the movie "How to train your Dragon". Awesome little creatures. We were a big hit with the kids once we started catching them. We stayed at the lake for a while, and when we were ready to go, we decided to let two of the big ones go and then take the rest home. Just like when I was a kid, I wanted to see them finish developing!

So we hiked a mile back with a bucket of Salamanders, had a great time chatting and then on the way home we stopped for dinner and then when he dropped me off at home at 11pm, we put the Salamanders in my water fountain in the back. More space to swim around than in the bucket. So now I get to watch them everyday in my backyard. Love it. Matt stayed for another couple of hours just chatting and then we both headed to bed. It was a long fun filled day. Matt and I ended up spending a solid 10 hours together! You know someone is awesome when you can go on a 10 hour date with them and not get tired or bored of them. :o)

If you have not been on the hike to Secret Lake, I totally recommend it! It is a pretty easy hike. I did it in flip flops and there were lots of kids doing the hike. This is a beautiful time of year to go up there and it is a nice way to get away from the heat!

P.S. What should I name my new pet Salamanders?