Thursday, June 7, 2012

What a day we had

Intrepid Trailblazers Al, Jonelle, Steve
When I first started hiking with the Trailblazers more than three years ago, I was told not to watch the weather trying to decide whether we would go or not because, as Al said to me back then, "We go rain or shine." Today was not one of the shiny ones. Only four of us showed up on another rainy day, with rain or rain showers in the forecast for the entire day. I almost stayed home myself. I am sure glad I didn't, since it was an exceptionally wonderful day.

We were scheduled to drive up to the Mt. Baker Wilderness and make our first excursion of the year to Excelsior Pass. Al and Fred went there a week or so ago to check out the snow situation. Al wrote about it here. However, it's a fairly long drive, and I suggested that hiking locally in the rain was a bit more acceptable to me than driving for an hour and THEN hiking in the rain, so we decided to head up to the Clayton Beach parking lot and hike up to Burnout Point and then down to Fragrance Lake. We last went up there in March, with lots of snow. It looked very different just two months ago, with snow and fog; today everything is green and in bloom.
By the time we got to the first viewpoint, the rain had let up a bit and the wind was really blowing. We even had a view of the bay, which surprised me. When we started out, I thought it would be a repeat of last week's hike. I asked Al to take a picture of me with the view behind me. You can see by my transition lenses that we had no sun at this point.
I had taken off my jacket and draped it across my shoulders, since the hard uphill in this part of the trek was causing me to overheat. And the rain wasn't too bad anyway. Off we went up to the clearcut, the least attractive part of this hike. We didn't see Baker or have much view in the distance, but the clouds were lightening up and I got a good look at Lost Lake.
From this high point of our journey, we began a gradual downhill to Fragrance Lake, where we would stop for lunch. Along the way, Steve pointed out that the salmon berries are just beginning to ripen. I ate this one right after I took its picture; it was very tart and not quite ripe, but here it is almost mid-June and I'm already eating this year's fruit. In a few more days I suspect it would have been much better.
It's not quite in focus. I didn't have time to get it just right as I was trying not to hold up my friends from getting to our lunch spot. Once we got to Fragrance Lake and ate our lunch, suddenly we were inundated with lots of kids! It was quite a surprise, being a Thursday, but one of the teachers told us it that the entire third grade class from an elementary school in Burlington was enjoying the outdoors along with us. We decided to hike around the lake before heading back, and I got this picture of some of them on the other side of the lake.
That's where we had lunch a bit earlier. As you can see, nobody is huddled under trees trying to avoid the rain, because by this time it had stopped completely. On the way back down, we even began to cast a shadow, and then sun breaks filtered through the trees. It was far nicer than I could ever have imagined when I started out from home this morning. Here's a picture of Jonelle and all the incredible ferns that are now sharing their beauty with us.
When Jonelle saw this picture, she noticed her "hat hair" which we all had from the rain hats we wore earlier. I, however, couldn't help but see the way all the colors of spring showed up in this lovely picture. And now, as I sit here writing this, the rain has started again, much harder than anything we experienced today. We must be doing something right. By the time we reached the parking lot, we had covered almost ten miles and 2,100 feet of elevation gain and loss. It was a super wonderful day. I'm so glad I got myself out today, rain or shine!
:-)

26 comments:

  1. wow quite the hike...pretty cool that little cloud that is below you...soon enough the berries will be ready...my grape arbor is starting to bloom too...cant wait...glad the rain waited for you a bit as well...smiles.

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  2. well, jonelle, if that's hat hair, i wouldn't mind it! :)

    glad you had a great clearing day for your hike! and i love those green ferns! haven't heard of salmon berries, before.

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  3. I like the photo of Jonelle in her green jacket that blends so well with the color of the ferns.

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  4. That's a long way up !
    What views... I would be dragging behind I'm afraid :)
    You are indeed a true pioneer DJan, no mountain or terain too much of an obstacle for you..
    Everything is looking so green and vibrant, spectacular.
    ~Jo

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  5. Glad you had such a great day!

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  6. I think a light rain would make this hike even more lovely. It certainly must have made the colors brighter and more crisp. It looks like you have a wonderful hike.

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  7. What a super day for the four of you. I must sy you are right about the beauty of sring all around you. Rain is no reason to quit. Glad you went:)

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  8. Love all these photos! That one form the high point is stunning, though, and ok, that strawberry looks succulent enough to eat immediately!

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  9. Tell Jonelle a little hat hair doesn't bother your readers..the fern and those berries are beautiful! I am so glad you had a good day:)

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  10. What a great day! I feel good just reading your post. The friend I used to hike with took me out in some awful weather. I enjoyed every hike I ever made.

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  11. Well it looks, and sounds, like the four most intrepid hikers had a pretty good day. I glad you got a break in the weather for your hike. Those berries are going to be delicious in another week.

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  12. Wow! Ten miles and 2,100 feet. I don't think I could have done that. But, maybe I could have, in the right company. It would be great to be "in training" for that kind of hike!

    And while the rain may have cooled things, that might have kept you from overheating a bit. From where you started the downhill, I think I can see a cloud as well as the lake. So nice to see that cloud.

    Thanks for sharing the story of your wonderful hike.

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  13. I would think that, rain or shine, the company is worth making the decision to go every time. :) Not often you run across a gaggle of children--LOL! You look so happy in your picture there. It just made me grin. :):)

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  14. Wow, way to go, DJan! I just love your enthusiasm for life! And every Thursday, there's something different to read about. I enjoy reading the names of the various lakes -- Fragrance Lake, Lost Lake -- Lol. Were they aptly named?

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  15. How beautiful. I am so glad you had a wonderful day because I really enjoyed looking at the photos - and I also love the names. Lost Lake, Fragrance Lake and salmon berries. Thank you. Lots.

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  16. Well done for not letting the weather get the better of you, I always try to remember the saying 'It's not the weather that matters but the clothes you wear.' My favourite photo was the one with the ferns and the different shades of green.

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  17. "We go rain or shine" is a good philosophy to remember for life. It sounds like a good book title. Things more often turn out better than we have feared. Nothing ventured, nothing gained--among other cliches.

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  18. You live in a beautiful part of the country...one I wouldn't be able to see without your blog. Thank you so much for sharing your photos with me, Jan.
    Your hike is amazing...as are you and your fellow hikers. Rain or shine!
    Love,
    Jackie
    P.S. I love the names of the places you visit. (Fragrance Lake, Excelsior Pass, etc.)

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  19. Hi DJan, It's a rainy afternoon in South Florida so I have been entertaining myself by reading your last several posts. Your words are soothing and your photographs propel my wanderlust to new heights.

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  20. so much pretty green

    you look wonderful! - pretty and happy and healthy :)

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  21. I admire your persistence in the face of Junuary!

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  22. Wow....the scenery you get to view each and every time your group goes hiking is just incredible. And the berries....mmmmmm!!!!

    A CLEAN BREAK is my post today.

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  23. Well, gee, hat hair looks great on Jonelle - kinds looks nice - fresh n natural, eh
    Quite a nice surprise meeting the little tykes way out there. Berries look nice.
    Photos, DJan are excellant as usual. Nice job and great to have the weather change to include backgrounds you might not otherwise have seen. Have a great weekend.
    I love the vibrant colours of spring.

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  24. I think many of us would find beauty and wonder if we ventured out in the rain, but we are so conditioned to huddle and run! Glad you had such a great day, and glad you shared it!

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  25. You are so inspiring, DJan. I love that you get yourself out there no matter what. Your friend, Jonelle practically fades into those ferns with her green jacket. :)

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  26. I really enjoy seeing photos of you, DJan. The salmonberry looked delicious. Too bad it was tart. I remember seeing them when we were in Seattle and wondered what they were like.

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