mountlake

Field notes

Walk until the water goes quiet.

Mountlake is a small studio for shore walks. We write the kind of note you can keep in a pocket: where the path stays firm, when the far trees sit still in the lake, and when it is wiser to turn back.

Still lake water with a dark treeline and a pale disc low in the sky, seen from a grassy bank.
Plate 1. From the east bench, late morning, before the reed wind starts.

Recent notes

The still hour

On clear mornings the lake holds the far trees for about twenty minutes. A wind then comes off the reeds and cuts the reflection into short lines. If you are drawing, begin before the kettle has boiled.

A path that stays

The east track drains faster than it looks. The dark patch beside the alder is leaf mold, not mud. Keep to the pale gravel and your shoes will still be recognisable at the jetty.

Reading the far shore

A pale band under the trees is usually mist, not a beach. Wait until you can pick out single trunks before you decide the other side is close enough to swim.