Thursday, October 13, 2011

Bright and beautiful Lake Ann

We didn't go where we were scheduled today, us Senior Trailblazers. The day dawned clear and cold, and we decided to head up to Lake Ann, which has been unavailable all year because of the late snow. But some friends had successfully reached the lake, so eight of us headed up the Mt. Baker Highway to the end of the road. We couldn't get all the way to the trailhead, so that added an extra mile to the hike, but it was worth it. Look at the clear sky! When we got to the parking lot, it was so slippery that we had to take precautions not to fall, but once we got into the sunshine, most of the ice melted away (most, not all; we had to watch every step).
This trek covers more than four miles before you reach the lake, but it's an interesting one: you start and end at the same elevation, descending almost a thousand feet from the trailhead, cross a beautiful and wet valley, and then begin a rocky ascent to Lake Ann. Here you can see the lake, and it's already frozen, mid-October. It looks like it never cleared completely all year. If you enlarge the picture, you can see that the middle of the lake has last year's snow still present. What an unusual year it's been: we saw fall colors as well as summer lupines that had just surfaced from the snow.
We had several exciting stream crossings, and sometimes we got a bit damp, but nobody got hurt. We were careful to take our time. The snow in the above picture behind the hikers is left over from last year, and it is obviously not going to melt, since this year's snow was already fresh on the trail. In the summertime, when we've done this hike before, it's so exposed to the sun that it tends to be very hot and uncomfortable as you navigate the rocks when you are gaining elevation. Today, every time we were in the sun it felt great.
This picture of Diane and me, taken by Peggy, shows our lunch spot, with two glaciers on Mt. Shuksan behind us: about even with the top of Diane's head and to the right is the Lower Curtis Glacier, and the Upper Curtis Glacier is visible just below the peaks in the middle. Several long-time hikers noticed the decrease we can see in the glaciers, just in the last decade or so. The first time I came here two years ago, I was able to hear glaciers breaking away (calving), and they are disappearing amazingly rapidly.
The eight of us spread out and sat in the brilliant sunshine, no breeze at all, and enjoyed our lunches. I was pretty tired by the time we got here, and I knew that we had another four-and-a-half miles and plenty of elevation loss and gain to travel before we reached the cars, but at this point it was a magnificent place to be, filled with laughter and camaraderie. I was happy and content as we began our descent.
If I didn't know better, looking at this picture, I'd think we were a bunch of intrepid explorers in the trackless wilderness. However, every time we weren't sure of the trail, we asked Steve, who has more experience in this environment than all of us put together. He has climbed all the peaks many times, camped here more times than I can count, and told us he was very happy to be out and about with us today. It was a bright and beautiful day, one that I will remember for a long, long time.
:-)

20 comments:

  1. That was so beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing it.

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  2. Wow! These are amazing photos! That first one is especially spectacular and I do... of course, really love the one of you!

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  3. wow those snowy peaks are amazing...glad no one got hurt in the crazy stream crossings....very cool shot of the lake...

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  4. Snow in mid-October. Stream crossings. Glad nobody fell and got hurt.

    I walked with my 19 month old grandson again for 20 minutes today. He takes such small steps I really had to walk slowly. Then it started to drizzle a little and I told him to run. His run equalled larger steps for me. lol. We made it to the house before it rained in earnest. I thought of you when all of this was happening... your stamina and energy.

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  5. Reading your words of joy "It was a bright and beautiful day, one that I will remember for a long, long time", and looking at the pictures of snow and ice it is hard to sit in my cozy home and put the two together. Only through your experience and enthusiasm am I able to do that.

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  6. What a beautiful atmosphere in which to spend the day.

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  7. Those first two photos look like the country before any development, pristine and beautiful. Nice hike!

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  8. Aah, "It was a bright and beautiful day, one that I will remember for a long, long time", definately, these words work with the photos. So beautiful and with the glacier/mountains in background; simply spectacular. Thank you for adding such beauty to my day.

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  9. We've already had snow here in the Sierra's, as well. I wonder if that is going to mean a cold winter? Your pictures are gorgeous. I love that part of the country.

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  10. It seems that winter has come to your part of the world already. Gorgeous photos of the snow. I enjoy being an armchair hiker and vicariously enjoy your hikes.

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  11. Oh, wow! I didn't know you were going on any more hikes this year. That must have been the other group you're in. This was another breathtakingly beautiful place! The shots were amazing!! I'm so glad I got to see another mountain hike! :):)

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  12. Your photos are breathtaking! The colors, the clarity, the light...looks like an incredible place.

    btw, I have a friend who just took over the GM job at a place called the Fairhaven Hotel in Bellingham. Are you familiar with it?

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  13. I love the shot of the lake!
    where snow goes to live forever :)

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  14. Listening to glaciers in late summer is awesome. Watching them is a bonus. You see lots of house sized pieces drop and the odd time a schooel sized piece. Intersting that by the time they reach the bottom they are in very fine pieces
    .
    Always enjoy the photos.

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  15. What a dramatic landscape!Somewhere, I see a book in these amazing treks of yours, DJan, so beautifully described and illustrated. You defy the idea of age, that by a certain age you must be...fill in your own adjective!

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  16. Spectacular photos, and hard to believe it's still frozen in October. I think that Trish has a wonderful idea. I can just see a gorgeous book filled with your photos and commentary of the incredible hikes you and your friends have taken.

    I think it'd be a best seller for the Pacific Northwest!

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  17. Beautiful clear day - great day for a hike.

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  18. What wonderful views! I was a bit ( a tad) concerned when you said it was slippery. Do you guys have any kind of a contingency plan if someone falls and is injured..or breaks something? Just curious..if someone carries a cloth that could be used as a stretcher and someone else might have a saw to cut poles?

    I know..I always am thinking about the worst possible scenerio:(

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  19. What wonderful photos!
    I am going to have to come out with you 'intrepid' hikers at least once still this season! Thanks for sharing...Aspen

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  20. I think "Bright and beautiful" is an understatement! I think that's got to be one of the most beautiful hikes you've taken us on DJan! :o)

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