Thursday, October 25, 2012

Last High Country hike 2012

Today only six Senior Trailblazers showed up to discuss whether to try to make one last trip into the High Country before we start our around-town hikes. Since it was a small group, and everyone was more than willing, we headed up to Goat Mountain on a beautiful day. There was no snow at the trailhead, but we ran into a small amount not long after we began our ascent. Not too bad, and the sunshine and mild temperature kept us going. We saw signs of wildlife, such as this one.
Bear! We saw several of these prints in one particular section of the trail; Al asked if someone else might like to lead for awhile. (He was joking, since bear at this time of year are foraging for food that is easier to catch than humans.) We also saw tracks of some large hares and tiny mice as well as bear. As we continued our climb, the snow got heavier on the trees and trail. Soon we saw that nobody else had been up here since the last snowfall. Our trail was beginning to get less distinct.
As we trudged upwards through the snow, which wasn't actually all that hard to navigate, the clouds came and went, giving us a nice bit of sunshine, and then grey skies. This hike meanders steeply up to a really nice lookout when the skies are clear, but we kept going because, well, nobody wanted to turn around quite yet. Here we are at the top, getting ready to have a quick lunch.
Steve, Al, Rita, and Ross (Mike and I were there, too, not pictured)
As we settled down into the heavy snow to have lunch, the sun across the valley lighted up the sky but obscured the views of Mt. Baker, Shuksan and Mt. Sefrit that we usually have from this vantage point. (If you want to see what we missed, here's a link from our July excursion to the same place.) Today we were pushing it, as the late October snowfall has already made the trail sketchy, but we were all very happy to get to the lookout spot anyway.
We didn't stay long, because once we sat down and began to eat our lunch, we cooled down quickly. My feet don't usually get cold, but after a few minutes here I realized that it wasn't a good idea for me to stay up here in the cold. Although the breeze was very light, it was enough to make me want to start down very soon. Al and the rest were willing to cut our lunchtime short.
At last we  began our downhill trek to the cars and warmth. I was hoping for a glimpse of some of our mountain friends, but it wasn't worth waiting around for. The trip downward warmed me up pretty quickly, and then just as we rounded a corner, there was Mt. Shuksan, finally coming out for a view!
Look at all that fresh snow! It's obvious that this will be our last hike in the High Country with the Trailblazers for the season, but we will still head up here on snowshoes now and then, so that we can enjoy the amazing sensation of accomplishment and High Country air, none of us wanting to wait until the spring to get up here again! We covered 7-and-a-half miles and 3,000 feet of elevation gain and loss today.

It was a lovely day, and I'm so glad I went. For those who stayed home today, you missed a wonderful time in the wilderness with us! There will be more of these hikes next year, so I'll see you when we meet again. It was a wonderful way to end the season.
:-)

22 comments:

  1. the snow looks plentiful already! glad you had a good day, though.

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  2. whew you are making me shiver...smiles...they say we might get snow first of the week...craziness....cool you saw so many signs of wild life as well...beers are nothing to mess with though....

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  3. Lions and tigers and BEARS...oh my! (do you know that it is not possible to outrun a bear?). Although I might challenge that logic if confronted! Beautiful scenery!

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  4. Bears..cool track! Looks like a cool hike..the snow makes everything look so fresh..and cold! :)

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  5. My feet were cold just reading about it and looking at your fine photos.

    I'm sorry I've not been around much lately. I'm trying to catch up.. but I know better. Sigh! :)

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  6. Mt Shuksan was certainly worth all your effort - so that you could provide me with this amazing photo (and all the others as well). Great post - thank you.

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  7. It's always an interesting hike when there's new snow. It's not too bad at the bottom but you wonder what it will be like at the top. The weather chances very quickly at the top.

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  8. Wow....snow! You expand the seasons for me with your amazing hikes!

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  9. Dear DJan, that fifth photograph was breathtaking. Thank you for posting it. And the last photo of the view of Mount Shuksan was equally lovely. I'm glad to learn that the group with which you do this hiking in the high country will meet during the winter months. Do you walk in town or in parks with trails at lower levels?
    Peace.

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  10. The last hike after last week's last hike eh? A good addiction to have. When I look at your pictures I always think now, if I lived out there, I'd be out hiking all the time also. Maybe.
    I'm so glad the clouds lifted from the mountain for you.

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  11. Mt. Shuksan may have been a great view, but those clouds looked pretty wonderful too!

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  12. We noticed snow in the hills at lower elevations today. It was quite cold already. I'm glad you got one more day and one more high country hike.

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  13. LOL! Couldn't resist another high trek! All that snow already--wow! Looks like it was a really good day, though. Enjoy your weekend. :)

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  14. Food that's easier to catch than a human?? hmmmm....

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  15. A glorious trek!!! My goodness, I can just imagine only what a scene that mountain was after it came into view when the clouds left!!!

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  16. What a strong constitution. I admire you so much. So glad it was a great end of season hike for you all.

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  17. It's always nice to end a season on a high note, so to speak!

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  18. Wonderful pictures of an interesting climb! Too bad you didn't get a picture of the Bear.

    From this point on, a couple of options. Hike in town, or get crampons, ice axes, and assorted paraphernalia.

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  19. Gorgeous pics! One last hike...now there's a good title!

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  20. sure is great to relive that great day on the mountain...what a privilege to be in such company....Ross

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  21. The view and the bear tracks would have made the trip worthwhile for me. It looks like you had a great day DJan.

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  22. Awesome photos as usual, DJan. I'm so glad you had such a great time.

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