Thursday, January 3, 2013

Blanchard Mountain and a party

What's that yellow stuff in the picture? Sunshine? Well, of course that's why so many Senior Trailblazers are huddled in the rays, trying to catch a bit of sun after we experienced such a dismal December. The last three days have been sunny, and today twelve of us headed up Blanchard Mountain to enjoy the day together before making our way to Mikey Poppins' home for a belated New Years party.
Long rays of sunshine at Lily Lake
We hiked to Lily and Lizard Lakes from the north side of Blanchard Mountain. When we did this same hike back in April, the weather was nowhere near as fine as it was today. That is not to mention that today it was quite cold, with lots of frost from the clear skies at night. We saw several different kinds of hoarfrost, but this specimen of angel hair hoarfrost was especially magical.
Although it looks almost like a fungus, it's nothing but water that has "spun" out of a log and made this amazing cascade of frost. I imagine that this pretty scene no longer exists, since any rays of the sun would melt the delicate hairs. We hiked to both Lily and Lizard Lakes and found that the trail was icy and slippery in spots. Some people had received Christmas presents of strap-on Yaktrax, which are designed to slip onto your boots and make it easier to hike on ice.
It takes a village to get Norm's Yaktrax secured
After getting geared up for the ice, we hiked up to North Butte to catch the view, since we knew that today we should get quite a stunning scene, since there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The view was indeed wonderful, but getting there was not so easy. Those things to keep you from slipping were welcome as we labored up to the top.
We cut today's hike short so that Mike could host a party at his nearby home. Mike missed quite a few hikes during the summer, with the excuse that he was working on a home renovation, and he wanted to show his friends (that would be us) what he had accomplished.
We walked into his beautiful renovated home after our hike, to be treated to a wonderful repast of tacos, tomato bisque soup, egg rolls, and a dessert spread that strained our hiking pants to the brim! It was also wonderful to see a slide show of all of our hikes where Mike carried his fancy camera, pictures that most of us had never before seen. We were mesmerized.
Here we are, enjoying an incredible feast, and that's Mikey on the left with Linda. We were all pretty full by this time, but we were also amazed at what he has accomplished. He made one room out of two; you are looking at it, front and right. The dining room has become part of the living room. It seems like it should always have been this way. Now that I am home after today's sunny hike and marvelous feast, I realize how fortunate I have been to have met this great group of like-minded seniors. We sure know how to have fun!
:-)

17 comments:

  1. you hang with a great group. :) nice to see the sunshine and colors!

    ReplyDelete
  2. seriously...that is hoarfrost...omg, that is awesome...that would be the highlight of the trip for me...wow...never seen that before...woot on the party as well...you def run with a fun group...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would kill for a bunch of that hoarfrost downunder where today it will be 44 degrees C! Enjoy your cool while it lasts!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Like Brian, I am delighted with the photo of the hoarfrost. I have never seen it before...never even heard of it. If I had come across it, I would probably still be there taking a gazillion photos of it! It is stunningly beautiful.
    Mike's home is lovely, and I am so glad that he presented a slide show to all of you; that would have been soooo fun to me if I was part of the group. What a great idea.
    Glad to see the sunshine in your photos. Sending you warm smiles, always.
    Hugs,
    J.

    ReplyDelete
  5. One thing a good hike does is burn off all kinds of energy and gives a good appetite. When you're with friends it makes it that much better.
    Some of that trail looks pretty steep.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I took another walk in the sunshine this morning too, reveling in the dry pavement underfoot and no need for a raincoat, just layers of fleece. It's raining now, but it should be dry tomorrow as we travel south to Oregon. Walking will be on hold for a few days.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I enjoyed your hoarfrost..very pretty! Mikey 's house looks so comfy..and I love that wide kitchen island..wish I had one like it. Another great hike..but the trail looked snowy:(

    ReplyDelete
  8. The angelhair hoar frost was simply stunning. Thank you so much for showing me - even my bones are melting in our current heat wave. Mikey's home looks beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  9. ...that frost image is just so amazing. What great art nature creates. As for the contraptions to help with walking on ice...that is one super invention!!! That sunshine looks awesome...we've had three consecutive rainy days here. And cold/damp!! I'm ready for blue skies again. [can't keep this ol' lady happy LOL]

    The belated New Year's get together looks like fun.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh snow, I don't feel so alone in this anymore!!1 Gosh is that spun frost the neatest thig I have EVER seen :}

    ReplyDelete
  11. Glad to know you too are getting sunshine. Rain is forecast for Sunday, though. Those two last pictures are more my speed than all that outdoors stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow! That angel hair hoarfrost is incredible. It really looks like white hair. I kept staring at it. I need to show it to my husband too. I've never seen anything like it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yes, you folks do know how to have fun. I do like seeing the angel hair hoar frost, it is beautiful. The hoar frost I see in my yard is rather shabby in comparison.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great photos, and you started out the year in the best way with your party. The photo of the the angel hair hoarfrost will go down in the records here as one of the best photos on your site yet.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The hoar frost looks like a tulle petticoat wrapped around a branch. The slide show was a great idea. Good for you for keeping hiking!

    ReplyDelete
  16. You have sure got some great friends. I am too laid back to make the effort to be with a group yet I miss it. I have put Buddy up front and that is fun too but it does have limits like those friendships.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love it that you and your group likes to party almost as much as you hike. It's indicative of good friendships, indeed. Love that hoarfrost.. that is just amazing!

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments! If you see a word verification box here, just ignore it. I don't use the darn thing and Blogger is trying to get us to use it, I guess. Ignore it and your comment will still appear.