At first Karen and I started on Chiwaukum Creek trail. But a massive wildfire incinerated the trees. No shade = too hot in July. After about a mile we turned around. Drove higher to Stevens Pass where it's cooler.

I love hiking to Lanham Lake. It's fun on snowshoes. The trail is short and steep. We gained 1,240 feet in elevation in just over a mile. Spectacular wildflowers in the shady woods.

Hordes of mosquitoes attacked us at the lake. I wore long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and gloves. Added a bug net from hat to shoulders. My clothes, hat and pack were sprayed with Permethrin insect spray. Thought I was mosquito-proof.

But some shirtsleeves have a small gap between the cuff and sleeve. A mosquito sneaked through the gap and stung my inner wrist.

In an area, Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridum) grows across the trail, raking people and animals with half-inch, barbed and toxic thorns. Got a thorn in my thumb. That did it. To protect my hand, I wrapped it in a folded fleece jacket. Sawed off offending branches with my small folding knife. Felt victorious.

Descending, Karen and I karate-chopped Devil's Club with our hiking poles. I took the left side (left-handed) and Karen took the right. "You know we're just pruning them and they will grow back more thickly," I told Karen. "I know," she replied. But it sure felt good.

At home, I removed the thorn with a sterilized needle and tweezers. Sharpened the knife. The next day I pulled thorns from my fleece jacket with needle-nose pliers.