I found my favorite place on Earth. Lake Crescent.

Twelve miles of pristine seclusion. Teal waters and perfect trails. Collin and I spotted this lake on our drive to the Hoh Rainforest. I knew I had to get a closer look. Driving back and seeing the lake bathed in moonlight and fog stirred in me an itch to see more. If you passed us on the drive you would probably have seen my faced smushed up against the car window trying to get a better look.

We woke up and made our way to the visitor center and asked about the hiking near the lake. The rangers indicated that parts of the trails were closed but we would still be able to get a great hike in. So we headed off.

Much to our disappointment the trailhead said the area was closed. But because we had been looking forward to this for two days, and the rangers at the visitor center said most of the trail was still open, we headed past the orange 'closed' sign and began our hike.

Collin will never let me live down how many times I said "maybe we should head back." I'm so glad he talked me into it because I found my heaven on Earth.

The weather was perfect, again. A light rain fell on and off but we loved it.

Incredible teal water. I had to snap a picture to try and capture it.

Collin spotted a cave that we had to explore. He climbed up first to check it out.

Fields and fields of rocks.

We found this amazing tree that had fallen in the lake. I love Collin's sense of adventure. He, of course, had to get a better look.

The hike led us to more and more incredible sights. I spotted a few houses across the lake and yearned to own one. We finished our hike with a snack and decided to drive back to the swimming spot. Collin is a fish when it comes to cold water. He swam in the North Sea when he visited Germany and decided to pull on his swim trunks for a dip in Lake Crescent.