Thursday, October 3, 2013

Misty day on Anderson Mountain

Old tree stump covered with moss
Today eight of the Senior Trailblazers headed up to Anderson Mountain, a short drive south of Bellingham, instead of going on our scheduled hike, because of all the new snow. Nobody was ready to drive up slippery snowy roads to hike on an unspecified amount of snow. At 5,000 feet where we were originally headed, it has rained more than 7 inches in three days! So off we went to Anderson Mountain. The weather was supposed to be really nice.
By midday we were still in fog
This hike sometimes gives us some nice views, but not today. We kept hoping that any minute the skies would clear, as they were beginning to when we left Bellingham. But it was not to be. We got good exercise and visited with each other, and on the positive side, it never rained, even if we didn't see the sun. There was evidence that it had rained in this area quite hard recently, but since it was much lower in elevation, there is not yet any snow. The first time I hiked this area, way back in 2009, we did have snow and rain, and you can read about it here.
Diane and Jonelle
I didn't have many wonderful things to take pictures of, so here you see two of the seven women who accompanied Al on the hike today. The fall colors also are much in evidence behind them. Part of the hike today was on old logging roads, but we did have some areas that were overgrown with brush, some of which were blackberry bushes. Al had a run-in with them on the way up.
Halloween costume? No, blackberry bushes
We stopped to take care of Al's wounds, since he had at least a half-dozen punctures that just didn't want to stop bleeding.  Fortunately he carries a first aid kit, and we managed to get him patched up, and then he donned a long-sleeved shirt. We kept going until around 12:30pm, when we stopped at an old log for lunch. There was no view anyway, so we just found the best place we could find to sit for a quick lunch.
Me, Amy, Diane, Rita, Peggy, Karen, Jonelle, Al
I used the self timer to get this shot, and the angle makes me look to be three times the size of Al, but I decided to use the picture anyway. It shows the group who had a great workout today of about ten miles, even if there wasn't much to look at, especially when compared to the last few weeks in the High Country.
Our only view during the hike
Just as we were returning to the cars, we got a quick view as the clouds lifted a bit. We had speculated that it would clear up just when we finished our hike, and guess what? That's exactly what happened. As we drove back to the Senior Center, bright sunlight made its first appearance of the day.
Maple tree at Senior Center
By the time we pulled into the parking lot at 3:30pm, the clouds were gone and this beautiful tree gave me a chance to take a brilliant picture to add to our day's adventure. We had a great time, even if it wasn't beautiful, and we got some exercise. I'm feeling pretty satisfied right now, as I raise my wine glass to another successful hike!
:-)

18 comments:

  1. Al was the most popular guy today on the hike! Wounded for sure...good thing all you gals were along to fix him up! :)

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  2. Some days you almost get lucky! Dull dreary days of hiking are not all a loss. . As you said you had a good work out view or no view.

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  3. at least you got exercise right...and a bit of excitement in the tangle with the blackberry bushes....glad you got a peek at the end there...

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  4. Living in Florida, I so miss autumn and the phenomenal colors. Sounds like a good hike.

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  5. Despite the mist it looks like a most excellent day. Any day spent with kindred spirits has to be a winner. And wine o'clock was most certainly deserved.

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  6. To me the best part of your hikes is the friendship and camaraderie. I love your photos of your friends. Too bad about the cuts on Al's arm.

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  7. Nice to have all the first aiders hovering round Al and fix up those nasty wounds - gee, he really did get tangled. When the weather is not its best, you get to spend more time contemplating the fog and clouds. I can also remember some of your very wet hikes DJan. Love the camaraderie of your group. I like that photo where the clouds are lifting and of course love the first photo. Nice photo of group :)

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  8. Methinks the views are a bonus anyway. Exercise and comradeship are what it all about. Al could be me as I have to take blood thinners...

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  9. I know I am weird but I enjoy foggy and cloudy days. That would have been a great hike for me.
    I just realized that Al pretty much has his own harem of lovelies going. There always seems to be more women than men.

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  10. The fall colors are alive in your neck of the woods. And at your elevation!

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  11. That blackberry 'costume' looks mighty painful!! I love FOG...I think I've said that before...I really do like it tho. Wishing we had it here more often.

    A good climb, no matter the view is still exercise and camaraderie. That's what counts.

    Oh, and love the moss covered tree stump.

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  12. What a lovely stump! You might have missed the mountain views, but you did have interesting things to look at.

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  13. Even if you don't get the panoramic views sometimes, you have all the wonderful trees and foliage around you. Just gorgeous! :)

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  14. Misty days are beautiful.. except of course when they obstruct your view. Those are some aggressive blackberries!

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  15. I always love seeing photos of your hikes, DJan. The moss covered stump is fabulous and I'm always a sucker for fall colors. I'd say you had a tremendously successful hike.

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  16. I'm sorry the sun didn't make an appearance for your hike but I love the moss tree stump. Looks like Al learned not to tangle with blackberries, they always win.

    The maple tree is amazing. I haven't seen any color here yet.

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  17. Wow, Al got into a good fight with the brambles, and lost big time! It's looks like a pleasant hike, with out rain!

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