Thursday, August 18, 2016

Lake Ann 2016

Lake Ann 18 August 2016
Twelve Senior Trailblazers gathered at the Senior Center to hike the Lake Ann trail on a very hot day. This hike doesn't have much shade once you leave the trees in the forest during your initial descent. This hike is rated hard because, as one wag said, it's uphill both ways. In other words, you descend into a valley and then climb up almost the same distance you went down at the beginning. And then you return the same way, with an uphill climb to the cars.
Sylvia and Mel on our ascent to Lake Ann
It was very pleasant to start out, with plenty of shade and a cool breeze, but by the time we had reached Swift Creek and were ready to start our uphill climb, the hot sun beating down on the endless rocks made it tough on many of us. Not a cloud in the sky. I really prefer hiking in cooler weather.
Our lunchtime view
We found a nice shady spot to enjoy our lunch, looking to the south, with the backside of Mt. Shuksan to our left and Lake Ann to our right. In the above picture, the snow in the upper right is on Mt. Shuksan.
Lower Curtis Glacier on Mt. Shuksan
Here is a picture of the state of the glacier on Mt. Shuksan today. I've been looking at it for eight years now, and it's noticeably smaller today, but still glorious. Instead of hiking closer to the glacier, we decided after lunch to take a nice stroll around Lake Ann. Two of our more adventurous Trailblazers went skinny dipping in the lake, while three of the rest of us took off our shoes and socks and treated our toes to an icy dip.
Lake Ann in front, Mt. Shuksan behind
I got this picture, my favorite of the day, of the lake in the foreground with a reflection of Shuksan's glaciers. It was a really nice place to hang out, but we needed to return on the more than four miles and plenty of elevation that had gotten us to this lovely place. And it was getting late.
Mt. Baker
On the way down, I saw this scene of Mt. Baker with the first leaves of the mountain ash beginning to turn in front of it. In a few weeks, the color display will be astounding, but for now, it's just beginning. Mike hustled me ahead of the others to show me a spot he thought would be a good one to take of our group, so here it is.
Doug, Dick, Rich, Ellen, Sue, Chris, Mel, Kirk, Sylvia, Al, MIke
He was right: the lighting and the scenery were all pretty spectacular. After I took this picture, we just put one foot in front of the other for the return journey, making it back to the cars a little before 5:00pm. We still had quite a bit of time in our cars before arriving in Bellingham, but of course we all stopped anyway for our ice cream at Grahams in Glacier. It's a tradition, and it also tasted simply wonderful.

So that's why it's now almost 8:00pm and the post is just now being finished. Now that my task has been completed, it's into the shower for me, and making my way into horizontal mode. It's been a wonderful day but I'm done. And I get a massage tomorrow! Yay!
:-)

18 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh! What awesome views and awesome photos. I'm hot here in Hawaii, but seeing those photos makes me feel a little cooler.

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  2. Spectacular views. It sounds like a tough hike. Enjoy the massage. It is well earned.

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  3. You guys are real troopers in that heat, but looks like there were multiple rewards. Thank you for sharing! :)

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  4. A hot trek is worth it for mountain views like those!

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  5. What a beautiful sunny day! Spectacular hiking photos. You sure make that part of the country look great. Of course, I'd have trouble getting to those vistas on foot.

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  6. Uphill both ways? Totally unfair. Does your jaw ever quit dropping at the jaw dropping views you get to enjoy? Wow.

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  7. I can't think of a better life than yours.

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  8. Ice cream for dinner. Sounds good to me. What a beautiful hike you had. Bet you slept well last night!

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  9. I don't think I could be tempted to have a dip in that icy water. The group photo should be framed, I expect everyone in the group would love a copy of that one.

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  10. Beautiful photos. I bet that shower felt wonderful, and hope your massage feels at least as good.

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  11. My days of hiking are long gone! I love camping but I always dislike long hikes... the "up" always knocked me out. Looks like everyone had a wonderful day and the photos are beautiful.
    Hugs for now...

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  12. Funny how the hardest hikes have the best scenery.

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  13. hot and rough, but the views... my, my...

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  14. Your mountain hikes with their spectacular scenery are always inspiring! Lake Ann reminds me of Lake Agnes, a tiny alpine lake in the mountains above Lake Louise in Banff National Park.

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  15. Enjoyed the hike. And, I"m headed into horizontal mode as well. Sleep well.

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  16. I continue to admire your hiking ability. The elevations you achieve and the views you get to see are truly remarkable. I am envious of that ability.

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  17. Lake Ann is a sparkly jewel! What a beautiful hike! Great group photo too! :)

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