Mud Lake - - - Photos 2-6

Well, here we go again... The days grow shorter, the temperature drops, and the leaves begin to change... We're on the cusp of another long and cold winter. We, here in Teton Valley, ID know what that means: Make the most of those precious few warmish days remaining. September and October are halvsies months. Half summer, half winter, and you never know what to expect day to day or even hour to hour for that matter.
In the past few years, as the summer season ended, I have felt a sense of dismay at not being able to spend as much time in the warm sunshine after spending my workday inside behind a desk. But maybe that is because I didn't utilize my summer season enough. I cannot say the same this year. This year, after an absolutley whirlwind summer of completely exhausting myself time and time again, I guess I feel more content about things. And autumn truly is a wonderfully spectacular time of year so I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible.

I went for a run after work today. The weather was seasonally cool in the mid-fifties and the sun played peek-a-boo behind a small bank of clouds as it set lower and lower in the sky when I left my place and set off on my run around 6:20pm. About 20 minutes later and over 500ft up, I arrived at Mud Lake, a shallow depression about 50 yards across and maybe a foot deep, that somehow manages to keep at least a small level of year-round stagnant water that more closely resembles pond scum and cow manure than actual water. The hoofprints and cow patties along the trails in that area come from the many scattered herds that summer in the area. From my front door in Victor, ID, it's one flat mile along gravel roads to the trailhead. From there, it's a steep steep mile up over 500ft of two-track to the "lake" located in the low foothills of the Teton Mtn Range one mile due east of Victor. It's a quick, convenient run I can do from my house and although the "lake" may not impress much (or at all), it still makes for a great evening jaunt. Here are some of the photos I took. (I think I somehow managed to grab a couple of shots that actually make this place look more welcoming than it actually is!)


Mud Lake (somehow this looks more like a lake than it actually is)

Victor, ID