Ptarmigan Ridge on a perfect day

Some of the group admiring the view

Thirteen Senior Trailblazers met at the Senior Center to begin our journey to Ptarmigan Ridge, one of my favorite hikes in the wilderness when the weather is sunny. And just look at it! Not a cloud in the sky. We had three new hikers with us today, Ken, Mike, and the one I called "Tripod Guy" until I learned his name is Roger. He carried a huge tripod with him the entire way and every time we stopped for more than a microsecond, he was busy snapping pictures. We decided to chance it in the wilderness, with our group one over the regulation size. We figured we could call ourselves a "Baker's Dozen," and Mt. Baker approved.

One of the wonderful views from the ridge

Fall colors are beginning to show themselves everywhere on this September day, our last summer hike of 2016. Next Thursday is the autumnal equinox, so it will begin our new season. This could not have been a more wonderful day.

Backlit red leaves

As we walked along the ridge, we saw plenty of other hikers. Not surprising, really, considering the weather and the time of year. I'm so glad we were all together, although three of the strongest hikers, Steve, Doug, and new guy Mike all left to hike all the way to the portals, while the rest of us would make it to Kiser Camp, about 4.5 miles and at an elevation of over 6,000 feet (more than 1,800 meters).

Ellen and Carol at Kiser Camp

We were all ready to stop and have our lunch, while the three guys went a bit farther to the portals. I was certainly ready to stop, with the altitude taking its toll on me, but once we had rested, I felt completely rejuvenated. You can see how close we were to Mt. Baker in this picture. While we had our lunch, we saw the other three come down the trail to join us.

Mountain goats at lower middle

We saw a herd of mountain goats on our return trip, six adults and a juvenile. They aren't easy to see unless to enlarge the picture, but hey, this was taken with my iPhone, after all. No telephoto. It's been rare that I haven't seen any goats on this hike when the weather has been so fine.

Beautiful tarns and Glacier Peak on the skyline

This is my favorite picture of the day. Glacier Peak can only be seen on hikes; it isn't visible from any highway but you see it here, and those blue-green tarns took my breath away. If you look closely, you can see two people walking on a trail towards those tarns, and I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't take a dip.

Snow crossing

Even at this time of the year, we had to cross snow three or four times. Not terrible or scary, but still, it is September just before the equinox! Everyone did fine, and our three newbies enjoyed themselves enough hopefully to return.

Saying goodbye to Mt. Baker at the end of the hike

Just before we finished the hike, I turned to see Mt. Baker backlit by the sun, with a few clouds forming in the sky. Although it turned out to be a very long day (it's almost 7:30pm as I finish this post), it was a simply wonderful one, filled with lots of adventures and ice cream at Graham's at the end!
:-)