Thursday, June 11, 2015

Ants in my pants

Jonelle, Karen, Joy, Bob, Dave, Kirk
I'll explain that title in a minute (true story). But first: fifteen Trailblazers met today to hike up one of our favorite places in the Mt. Baker wilderness, Goat Mountain. But since it's in a wilderness area and we are restricted to no more than twelve, five of our number decided to attempt the summit, while the rest of us would make it to the lookout, which meant we wouldn't go up (and down) the 1,400 extra feet of elevation and would keep in touch by walkie-talkies.
Al looking quite svelte
Al led the hike, and I thought he looked like he's lost a little weight during this past month, and he agreed. The picture doesn't lie. He set a very nice pace, one I enjoyed as it wasn't too fast, and we, the slower group, made our way up the trail on a lovely day, not too hot with a nice breeze. It is about a three-mile ascent before we reach the meadow and then a rather steep section to the overlook.
Beautiful flowers on our way to the overlook
The flowers were simply amazing once we got to the meadow, and I was reminded of all the snow we had to deal with when we went on this same hike at the end of March (here's the link). It was our first hike back in the High Country back then, and here we are just two months later and we didn't see a speck of snow on the trail.
Mt. Shuksan with blooming heather in the foreground
And then we were there: at the overlook, where we can see wonderful views of Mt. Baker, Mt. Shuksan, and Mt. Sefrit. A few clouds had begun to form, making for some really great pictures and giving us a chance to sit down to a nice leisurely lunch without it being too hot.
"Look this way", I said to Kirk, Joy, Al, Diane, and Dave
Once we were finished with lunch, and having had no sign of the others and being unable to contact them with the walkie-talkies, we started our downward trek. I asked Fred (yes, the elusive Fred joined us today!) to take a picture or two of me, and he captured this one of me and Jonelle, with magnificent Mt. Baker hiding a little behind the clouds.
Me, Mt. Baker, and Jonelle
And then it was time to head back down. It was still a beautiful day, not too hot, not too cold, and there were a few sections where delightful butterflies surrounded us. Al pointed out one that had opened its beautiful wings to the sun, so I grabbed my camera and tried to capture it before it flew away. Unfortunately, I leaned a little too far forward and lost my balance, falling into a steep drop-off on the side and missing the shot. I managed to stop my slide down the slope by handing my camera to Bob and asking for some assistance back up. Not so easy when I realized that there was no place for my feet, so I finally turned over and Bob pulled me back on the trail, a bit like a beached whale, but we won't go there.

Other than being embarrassed, everything seemed okay until I began to realize I was COVERED with ants. They were all over my clothes and began to make their displeasure known to me. Before long I was almost down to my skivvies as Bob and Karen helped to get them off me, and I only yelled once or twice. But yes, they managed to make it under my shirt and my pants before we were able to declare me ant-free. And then the excitement was over and we resumed our descent.
Chris's picture of the goats at the summit
We got back down and piled into our cars, but not before I had received a cellphone call from Chris, who told me they had all made it to the summit, but that they were far enough behind us that we would just make sure to see them next week. Mostly we had no cellphone coverage, but because the ski area was sometimes in our line of sight, we could call each other. Once I got back home, I received the wonderful picture of the mountain goats on Goat Mountain, and I see that they had a little snow as well. (We never saw any at all.)

So, to summarize, as I sit here with my wine almost finished, my post almost done, and no ants left to remind me of my humiliation (instead of a GREAT picture), I am hoping that you will enjoy this post of our special day on Goat Mountain as much as we did!
:-)

22 comments:

  1. well, except for nasty ant bites, i'm glad you were SAFE! :) and someone could pull you back onto the trail. :) gosh, such gorgeous views today! beautiful!

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  2. What a beautiful hike! I'd love to join your group for one of their treks! Glad you got all those ants out of your clothes. No harm done, and you had a good story for the blog!

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  3. Next time watch where you're taking pictures that you don't face downhill. You could go further than you did today. Now ants...that's another thing. they are a big nuisance. I was tying peonys today so I had lots of ants on me.

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  4. The last time I leaned over too much and lost my balance, I ended up in a river! I'm glad you didn't fall farther than your help could reach. Ants in the pants - not nice. But it makes for a good story.

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  5. I noticed Al is giving you a hard time in that one photo...good to see him looking good but thinner. Ants are awful...you must have made them really mad. So glad you were not hurt...and I am sorry you missed the photo:(

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  6. Makes me wish I had joined your group today.

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  7. Ants are not my friend. They delight in biting me and I blow up like a barrage balloon (more like a barrage balloon). I am so glad you didn't fall far, and had friends to lift you up. Also thrilled to see Al. And the scenery. And the wildflowers.
    You deserved wine o'clock today - and I hope it was blissful.

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  8. Thank goodness you didn't get an allergic reaction from the ants. I believe I inherited the allergy from mom though not as bad as her. I feel your pain, but I'm glad you survived without too much harm. Do please take care next time. Problem is, you never know when these mishaps will occur. My daughter has already teased me saying I'm a klutz. I'm glad you could relax with a bottle of wine too.

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  9. Yes, thank goodness you are not allergic to the ants. You guys look like some serious hiking enthusiasts. The scenery you were treated to on your hike was simply spectacular.

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  10. That musta been one pile of ants to cover you so quickly. Now DJan, if you're going to lean over a mountain to take a photo, don't do it in an anthill, eh. Gosh, what an adventure you had today, eh, complete with beautiful photos.

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  11. The flowers on the bank with the mountain in the background and the azure sky steals the show today.

    Your ant saga and sliding down the incline was a hoot...dangerous and scary, but knowing you're okay, I can giggle a little bit at your expense. I hope I'm not making you mad at me. Sorry. I know it wasn't funny for you at all!! Girl, you do make a hike an adventure!!! Seriously, GLAD YOU'RE OKAY from the ordeal.

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  12. Attack of the Killer Ants...... Yikes!!!!

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  13. Such spectacular places you have to hike! Sorry about the ants though.

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  14. Yikes! Those ants can be really painful, if they are the red kind. As always, such beautiful views in your hikes, and glad you were safe from your fall.

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  15. Oh my gosh, ants! Horrible. I remember as a child I sat on the curb in my neighborhood, watching friends play. Before you know it, there were ants inside my shorts crawling all over my crotch. I made it home and took a bath. That's something I will never forget.

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  16. OMGosh! No picture is worth falling off the mountain! That one of Mt. Shuksan with the flowers and the blue sky and clouds--amazing shot! I love seeing the wildflowers in the mountains, but please be careful. Remember the ants and don't lean too far. ;)

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  17. Oh DJan! I'm so sorry about the ants! One small suggestion for the future, don't lean over while on a mountain! I'm glad you are safe.

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  18. Oops! Glad you are back on your feet, so to speak.

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  19. That is way too many ants. Other than that, it sounds like a good hike.

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  20. I'm enjoying it. And I can tell I've been in Texas too long. I read ants and I was thinking fireants and how truly terrible they are. Upon further thought, realized they are not that far north and am most thankful you didn't get those stings. Still, ants in your pants are so not a good thing.

    Enjoyed the day with you. Sleep well.

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  21. Love the goats, hate the ants.

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