Photo by Nancy Chocker

The kayaker is my friend Michelle Fletcher of Twin Falls, who was with her husband at Redfish Lake in the Sawtooth Range in 2014 to help my husband and me build yurts in the area. On a summer morning, Michelle took their two-year-old Shitzu named Molly on her maiden voyage, a twelve-mile round trip on the lake. It was cold at first but when it got warm later on, Molly moved to the bottom of the kayak. It was good for me to see the lake placid, with only a few sailboats near our two boats, even though I carry my digital camera in a waterproof box to keep it safe. We had embarked early, before wind and heavy motorboat use make the water rough, and it was a mystical experience to see the fog lifting from the mountains.  It reminded me of photos you might see in National Geographic of somewhere in Patagonia or other high-mountain country, but it was my own beautiful home state of Idaho, and I felt blessed that morning to share it with others.

Editor’s Note: This photo won second place in IDAHO magazine’s 2015 Cover Photo Contest.