What a difference a day makes

As warm as it got all day today

Last night in Bellingham, we went to bed after having had a nice warm day in the mid-fifties, and we woke to 21F. Al had suggested that we might have a nice weekend hike today, maybe even into the mountains, if the weather cooperated. But it didn't. The temperature would not have been so bad, but the wind! Oh my, it's blowing a gale out there. He sent around an email last night suggesting we cancel the outing, but he said he'd show up at 8:00am to see if there were any other takers, and if we decided it was too terrible, we could all just go out for coffee.

Carol and me with Samish Bay behind us

Four of us headed out on a favorite hike near town, so that if we didn't feel we were having fun, we could just head for the coffee shop from there. We didn't know for sure whether this was a good idea or not, but with proper gear it wasn't so bad when we were sheltered from the wind. Just stopping to take this picture made me feel cold again. The bad part is that as soon as I tried to get any water out of my hydration pack, the water had frozen solid in the tube! The same thing happened to Al and Carol, but they had less tubing hanging out from their packs. Al suggested that I could take my entire hydration pack out and put it under his coat.

Ah, sweet water: nectar of the gods

Once it got under his coat, it thawed enough for me to get a drink, but I had to go running over to Al every time I got thirsty. We laughed at this picture, so I just had to share it with you. He kept his own bite valve under there, too, so that his wouldn't freeze. He generates quite a bit of heat when he is hiking, so we were both able to stay hydrated. Carol managed to keep hers open but was drinking slush most of the day.

Mt. Baker and clouds

We got to this high point and I snapped this picture, but the wind was so fierce that I didn't try to take any more shots. Besides, my camera's batteries were showing that they were low, even though I knew they weren't. The extreme cold (wind chill is real!) affected it, plus it was impossible for me to change settings without taking off my mittens, which I was unwilling to do.

Waterfall

We have seen this waterfall many times, but it usually isn't flowing with such incredible volume. All we could figure is that is must have been caused by the rain we've been having for the past week. The vegetation and log on the right are covered with frost. But look at that sunshine; it's been clear and beautiful all day, and except for the wind we would have been very happy to make it a longer hike. But any stopping meant instant cold, so we stood while we ate a quick lunch and then headed back to the car.

Now I'm home, and I'm finally feeling warm. Although it was quite an experience, I'm glad I went, and although my face feels a little chapped from the cold and wind, otherwise we were none the worse for wear. Much better than sitting around inside eating leftovers. They are still there, and now I can eat them feeling quite virtuous!
:-)