Heliotrope Ridge on a perfect day

Nice little waterfall on the trail

Ten Senior Trailblazers set out for Heliotrope Ridge on a day without a cloud in the sky. I've done this hike on days when we couldn't see much because of the fog, and times when we couldn't get across the creek. But today, we traveled up the much-used trail to get up close and personal with two of Mt. Baker's glaciers. The Washington Trail Association has a good write-up about the trail here, and I've added an excerpt from that link that says it very well:

As you travel through stunted evergreens, the incredible hulking Baker makes its presence known. Soon encounter the first of two challenging (potentially dangerous) crossings of braided Heliotrope Creek. Plan on getting your feet wet in icy-cold, rapidly moving waters. Be aware, too, that if it's a hot day your return will be even more difficult because of melting snows from above.

We were all together, still, when we reached the first of those challenging stream crossings, but some of us decided to cross, and others didn't want to. (We had also run into three of our friends who were hiking separately. They also decided not to cross.)

Some crossed, some didn't

 I didn't think I'd cross over the stream. Al is busy giving walkie-talkies to the group who will go up the climber's route instead of crossing the stream. It wasn't easy, and thinking of the return route I wasn't sure I was making the right decision, but I made my way across anyway and kept my feet dry!

Pretty flowers at one of the stream crossings

And it was worth it, as we got closer and closer to Coleman Glacier and Mt. Baker, the most amazing pictures caught my eye. It looked as if we could simply mosey up Mt. Baker if we wanted, but it was actually several thousand feet above us. I can see why the people use this area to summit the mountain.

The summit of Mt. Baker, with glacier ice in the foreground

Doesn't it look like you could saunter up there on a nice day? It's much farther than it looks, but the glacier! We were above it, looking down at Coleman Glacier, and it was so close we just gaped at it in awe. So beautiful!

The glacier, Mt. Baker, and Rita

Look at that massive glacier! And we were not far from a very nice lunch spot, but we needed to climb a little more to get there. I was beginning to tire, but I kept trudging along, following my friends to a nice place for lunch. Full sun and incredible views made it possible for me to continue. Time for lunch!

Al and Mike enjoying lunch, others behind them

It was nice to stop and fortify myself with a nice lunch while we stopped to enjoy the amazing views. Al pulled out his binoculars and spied the rest of our group on the other side of the ridge, having lunch as well. We confirmed all this with the walkie-talkies and decided on how we would rejoin them. I used my telephoto and got this shot of the others. They had a great view, too, just different from ours.

There they are! Farther away than last week's mountain goats

The best part is that, since we were line-of-sight with our companions, the walkie-talkies worked great. We all left our lunch spots at the same time and got back together to continue down the trail to our cars. For once, it all worked perfectly.

And now I am sitting in my own living room, the day's work done. I had a great day, as did all the other Trailblazers. I would like to leave you with this picture of me, taken in front of the glacier and magnificent Mt. Baker.

What a great day! Me in front of a glacier and a mountain

I took a few pictures of my friends in this same spot, and once I get this published I will send them their own wonderful pictures taken in front of our old friend Mt. Baker and one of her many glaciers.
:-)