Thursday, December 3, 2009

Raptor Ridge

 Things never turn out like we plan them, do they? I was all ready to take off with the other eleven Senior Trailblazers who showed up on this beautiful sunny Thursday, but unfortunately, I locked my car keys into my car by mistake, and with my camera still inside, I reluctantly stayed behind as they all car pooled and headed up to Raptor Ridge. I called Smart Guy, who dressed and quickly drove over to the Senior Center to help me into my car. While I was waiting for him, I figured that since it was such a beautiful day I could drive myself to the trailhead and maybe, just maybe, catch up with them. And that is exactly what I did. The picture above was taken when I first started up the trailhead, with nobody to hurry me along, I was just astounded at all the moss and snapped the picture. (You can click on any of these pictures if you really want to get the full effect.)

I was a half hour behind the others, so I took no breaks and didn't know if I could even catch up with them, much less find the right trail amongst all the others leading off from the Interurban Trail. Fortunately for me, the twists and turns were all well marked, and when I saw a couple of runners coming down the trail they assured me that the group (obviously on the older side, like me) were ahead.
Just before the turnoff to Raptor Ridge, I caught up with them. They were pretty amazed to see me, but they had taken short breaks and I hadn't. We had lunch together, as shown by the above picture, and enjoyed the amazing view from Raptor Ridge. We saw no raptors, and this picture below doesn't really give the full effect of the drop-off to the left of the moss. Notice the hiking boots in the upper right corner. I was as far back as I could get and still not fall off. A few wags suggested that I could just back up a little farther and get a great picture.

On the way back down the trail, we saw this incredible moss-covered rock with a huge tree growing right out of the top of it. This is not an optical illusion, but I am just not sure where that tree got its nourishment. Talk about wringing blood from a turnip...
All in all, we covered 8 miles and went up about 1,600 feet in elevation, and now I'm tired, happy, and very ready for tomorrow's massage after my workout at the gym. My life is pretty good, and I am right here and now giving thanks for having the ability to do these things. It will not always be so; that's the way of life. The quality of our life, however, is not measured in what tomorrow brings, but what we do with today.
:-)

15 comments:

  1. The first picture is something else – all that moss, it's beautiful. It reminds me of walking in the rain forest on Vancouver Island. And now I’ll have a quote in my quote book from you: “The quality of our life is not measured in what tomorrow brings, but in what we do with today.” –Djan.

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  2. It is so lush and green - even with the cooler temps. Everything around us is brown. I am envious. Incredible scenery. That last tree is awesome. It is just remarkable that it is thriving like that.

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  3. Those final words were inspiring to me! That first picture... WOW! I was awed! Raptor Ridge sounds like a place for Jurassic Park. That picture fit nicely. I would love to hike there!

    There are some gorges I like to hike here that have trees seemingly growing straight out of rock. It amazes me.

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  4. Love your Djan quote! your photos are wonderful, that first photo with all the moss was like a feast for my eyes!
    That tree..amazing isn't it..it is just growing where it was planted, or where the seed fell..we could learn from trees:)

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  5. You're making me envious, you know like walking along those moss covered trees, that was a something! I like the second photo with your arms outstretched, you often do that pose on your photos. And it shows that you are a very warm, sweet and loving person...why? With your arms outstretched, it seems that you always want to give hugs to everybody! Haha!

    AL

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  6. you are just SO freakin awesome :)
    xxx

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  7. Absolutely brilliant pictures and post. Yes you are definitely awesome!

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  8. D-Jan,I fully agree with your last sentence in this post.WOW! something to think about.Loved the pics,and it's wonderful that you enjoy life so much.....hope I can hike when I'm your age.You've got guts to look down from the ridge....eeeks!

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  9. Yes! As you can likely tell from my Blogs, I am all about building for tomorrow and squeezing every drop of life I can get out of today. I'm so glad you've 'got' it. What a great spot you live in by the way!

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  10. Wow, you caught up with them? Just shows how in shape you are!

    Those pictures are amazing. I love all the moss in the Pacific Northwest, and that tree growing out of the rock is really weird in a neat sort of way. Just goes to show, life will pop up when you least expect it.

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  11. The photos are totally amazing. And, I'm so glad to know that I am not the only one that envious. lol The country is beyond magnificent, and so are you to be able to catch up with everyone.

    Did I say the photos are marvelous? :D

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  12. What a great hike. And wonderful pictures. I know i couldn't keep up with you DJan!

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  13. I loved the first picture and the one of the tree towards the end. They are somewhat magical.
    Your last words are so very true and a reminder to focus on the present.
    I'm impressed with your determination and courageousness; it seems they were just the ticket. After all, I'd have hated to miss those pictures:)

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  14. Do you ever get tired of hearing me tell you how amazing and inspiring you are to me? I hate missing any of your posts and yet I do. Poor me.

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  15. Love your your last sentence and couldn't agree with you more. The forest on your side of the state is always so green and lush, we don't see that kind of moss over here. Awesome photos, I would love to hike that area.

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