Chain Lakes on a hot sunny day

Ward, Linda, Susan, Roger, Bob, Diane Peggy, Carol, Rich, Chris

Today we had eleven Senior Trailblazers head out for a loop hike of around eight miles. We've done it several times before, but this was the earliest I can remember us attempting the loop, which usually has plenty of snow to deal with. Not this year. Our nonstop sunshine and low snow level from last winter has given us a chance to attempt hikes we usually make at the end of summer. In fact, I found that last year we made this hike at the end of August with plenty of clouds and saw mountain goats!

Mt. Baker from the trail

We decided to make the hike in reverse order from our usual direction, and we went up the Wild Goose Trail (very steep) to Artist Point and then began our trek down to Chain Lakes, with the intention to stop at Iceberg Lake (our usual lunch spot) and then head up Herman Saddle and back down to the cars via the Bagley Lake Trail.

Beautiful wildflowers

We noticed that the wildflowers were only really abundant when they had a water source. And those sources are drying up quickly. We were all very glad we made this hike today, since most of us think that in a month, when we usually try this hike, they will be all gone and it will be totally dry, if conditions continue as expected.

Iceberg Lake and four Trailblazers swimming

As soon as we reached the lake, four intrepid hikers tore off their clothes and jumped in. Since it had been so hot, I believe their shouts of joy and screams of delight made a few of us think that maybe we were missing something. A few of us headed down to the lake to... take off our boots and get our feet wet!

Me, Carol, Linda (taken by Chris)

Although it felt really good, I realized that taking a pair of flip-flops (as Chris had done) was a great idea for walking on slippery rocks. However, my feet were very appreciative anyway and sent little frissons of joy up to the rest of my body. Maybe next time I'll consider actually jumping in.

Lupine and daisies

Right now all around the lake are spectacular fields of wildflowers. There were also a few biting flies and even a stray mosquito or two, but basically that's another benefit of the dry weather, the bugs are not all that bad. That said, we hauled out the repellent while we enjoyed our lunch.

Iceberg Lake with Mt. Baker

And then we headed up to Herman Saddle, an uphill slog in full sun, with a light breeze the only positive element as we climbed up. I stopped to rest and saw this wonderful picture of Mt. Baker, with Iceberg Lake, our lunch spot, looking perfectly serene. And even a little tiny cloud! 

Shuksan Moutain, with Trailblazers in the foreground

We made it to the saddle and then headed down to the Bagley Lake Trail, which would lead us to the cars. Without our usual hike leader Al, we had to take the word of our other hikers as to the distance covered, and we decided that it was an honest eight miles, with somewhere around 2,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. In this kind of heat, it was not what I would call an easy hike.

Carol and wildflowers

This is the last picture I took, of Carol among the amazing wildflowers, before I just put my head down and placed one foot in front of the other until we reached the cars. I was very tired, but as soon as I got there, I began to feel better. We piled into our respective cars and headed down to Graham's for some ice cream. And then home. Now I am showered, wined, and soon will be dined to celebrate the end of a wonderful day. We missed Al, who was busy getting some medical procedure or other, but I look forward to his return next week. All in all, a very good day.
:-)