Thursday, September 24, 2015

A bit of everything at Lake Ann

First glimpse of Lake Ann today
Yes, I know it's late for my blog post, but I just got home after a long day in the High Country. Only nine Senior Trailblazers showed up, probably because the weather forecast was for rain, but it kept getting pushed later in the day. Still, you might notice that because of the drought, a hike we took two years ago, almost to the day, shows a much larger Lake Ann. We need all the rain we can get, so none of us would have been unhappy if it had turned out to be a wet day.
Climbing the rocks to Lake Ann
The reason this hike is considered difficult is because you descend 800 feet to a valley at the beginning, cross the valley, then climb a long rocky traverse to Lake Ann and the back side of Mt. Shuksan. This must all be reversed when you return to the starting point. It's sort of uphill both ways. It was overcast for most of the day, but every once in awhile we would see patches of blue and get a dose of sunshine.
Jacqueline and Peggy on the trail
As you can see in this picture, it was a beautiful climb, with fall colors everywhere, and us needing very little to keep us warm as we hiked. At any minute we expected the heavens to open up and drench us (we were ready), but instead the clouds came and went and we stayed mostly dry.
Mt. Baker partially obscured
As we climbed higher, we got some wonderful views of Mt. Baker (Komo Kulshan), with Al and Doug in this picture at the head of our group of nine. The sky was so grey at this point that even if you could have seen the top of the mountain, it would have blended in. But it was still stunning, and nobody had felt even one raindrop by this point.
The glacier on the back of Mt. Shuksan
And then we reached the top, where we saw that first glimpse of Lake Ann, and to the left the back of Mt. Shuksan with its glacier, much diminished from past years, but still magnificent. You can see the top of the mountain shrouded in fog, and plenty of red foliage in the foreground.
The Trailblazers on the left
And then it was time for lunch. We stopped here, gazing at the beauty all around us, getting the occasional ray of sunshine as we enjoyed the splendor of our surroundings. We didn't stay very long, less than half an hour, before we turned around and began our return journey.
Me in front of Mt. Shuksan
I asked Carol to take a picture of me in front of the glacier, and this turned out quite well, I think. (That's why you're seeing it, of course.) I put my raincoat on for warmth, but at this point we were all getting just a bit chilled from the breeze and altitude. We packed up and headed back down. And up.
Hillside colors
When we reached the cars, it was 4:00pm, after a long day in the beautiful wilderness that we are so privileged to appreciate and enjoy. It was simply a wonderful day, and if you had been able to join us today, as we hiked around eight miles and went up and down somewhere around 2,500 feet, you would have said so, too. The rain was intermittent and didn't even cause us to put on our raincoats, and the wind and weather only added to our virtuous day. What a day!
:-)

17 comments:

  1. I love the fall colors! One of my coworkers hiked here over labor day and got some fabulous photos. I need to get up your way sometime and do some hiking.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful scenery. I hike vicariously with you all on these treks. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You sound really pumped on this one. The area was beautiful and the weather just about perfect which makes for a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, wow! that has to be the most beautiful hike yet! Thank you for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  5. How very beautiful.
    Mind you, if I had been along someone would have had to carry or drag me. Cyber walking is much safer. And still beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That first and last photo are my favorite with all the gorgeous colors. I wish I was stronger and could hike such beautiful trails with you. Wow!

    ReplyDelete
  7. my goodness, that's beautiful, but i do hope you'll get rain soon!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a glorious place! I'm amazed that you can get up into the alpine habitat and close to the glaciers in a day hike. I've only seen that sort of country up close once, when we took our kids camping in Banff and jasper, 30 years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the colors! This is one of your better hikes in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That sounded like a challenging walk but well rewarded with those beautiful surroundings.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love those hillside colors.. and of course that pic of you and the glacier. Do you ever worry about getting caught in a rainstorm that would cause a flashflood?

    ReplyDelete
  12. The fall colors are just beautiful! Plus you saw glaciers, foggy clouds, a lake, and avoided getting drenched. A good day! Love the picture of you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. You always impress me with the miles you cover and the elevations you achieve. Not sure I'd like up hill both ways. Lake Ann does seem smaller but I did enjoy the lovely fall colors.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Those pictures will snow look pretty good on this day when our temperatures are hovering, again, near 100.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I was wondering if your eye is better but you have your shades on! Colorful hike and sad to see Lake Ann so low with water:(

    ReplyDelete
  16. Beautiful scenery; but it does look like you could use some more moisture out there. (We could use some here, too. The reservoirs are okay, but the ground is dry and the trees and grasses are turning brown).

    ReplyDelete
  17. These photos are absolutely stunning, DJan! What a glorious part of the world you live in. Wish I were there. :)

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments! If you see a word verification box here, just ignore it. I don't use the darn thing and Blogger is trying to get us to use it, I guess. Ignore it and your comment will still appear.