Burnout Point without the clouds

Samish Bay behind me

And to think I almost didn't go today, because of the cold I picked up earlier in the week. As it turned out, it was no problem at all; my cold is definitely much better. Yesterday, however, I was unsure if it was a good idea, so I went to bed earlier than usual and slept great (thanks to Benadryl). When I woke this morning, I packed up and dressed warmly, as it was a brisk 26 degrees F. It was a clear night and all the warmth from the previous day had dissipated.

Last March we made this same hike, with nary a view to be had; instead we had pea-soup fog to deal with. I wrote about it here. But today we are in the midst of a spell of dry, sunny weather. There is a fair amount of fog around in the early morning when it's like this, but it burns off quickly. I scraped heavy ice off the car and headed to the Senior Center to meet ten fellow hikers. We started this loop hike from the Clayton Beach parking lot.

One of our newer members, Ross, shows you that it wasn't warm when we began. The old logging road we trudged up just didn't give us a break, but it did allow us to gain elevation quickly. We ran into snow not long after we started, and we began to shed our outer layers of clothing pretty quickly. I thought the picture below would give you an idea of how steeply the road heads upward, but it doesn't do it justice.

We ran into these pretty icicles, ones I took a picture of last year (available in the aforementioned link). This year I noticed that there were even more icicles, and they glistened in the beautiful sunlight. Although we make the same hikes year after year, it's truly amazing how much they change in character from one occasion to the next.

And finally, we reached the summit of Burnout Road, where the clearcut logging operation of a few years back has opened up the view. We had never before seen this view since clouds and fog have always obscured it on our earlier excursions. Mt. Baker and the Twin Sisters are covered with snow, and they are magnificent as always. Every time we see them they look a little different, because of a different angle or because of a completely different weather day.

Amy and Peggy standing on the clearcut area

As we came around a corner, we disturbed a snowy owl who flew overhead on his way to a more secluded spot. They are BIG! From a different direction, you can see that the logging operation has also opened up a magnificent view of Samish Bay, which I captured here.

Blue sky and low fog, with Mt. Erie jutting up above the clouds, puffs of steam coming from the Anacortes refineries, it's all a part of Samish Bay. Forest trees are in the foreground, with a piece of clearcut forest in the lower left of the picture. Although the view is spectacular, I also feel sad when I see the detritus from the clearcut operation, reminding me of what was once beautiful forest. However, I use wood products, too, and there is plenty of market for all those gorgeous trees. I know they grow back, but still...

By the time we had returned to the cars and our starting point, we had covered around nine miles or so, with an elevation gain of 2,000 feet. Exclamations of contentment came from many of us, and I was glad to have one of those days that remind me why I live here, and why I can so quickly forget about the rain.
:-)