Alger Alp 2017

Squires Lake, partly frozen, in the rain

Eleven Senior Trailblazers showed up on an overcast, dreary morning to do a short hike around Squires Lake and the ridge trail that takes us up to a view. We didn't expect one, really, with the weather wet and windy, albeit warm, compared to our last two hikes in subfreezing weather. It is 48°F (9°C) right now, much warmer than last week's hike.

Looking at the water leaving the lake

But today it's wet, as you can tell from the above picture. We know how to behave in rain, but to tell you the truth, nobody actually hoped for it. Instead, we kept hoping for it to stop. After a few hours, it did, more or less, and we actually got a view when we were at the overlook.

Olympic rain shadow in the distance

Al pointed out the rain shadow effect, that makes the area around Sequim, Washington, so much drier than Seattle and points north (like Bellingham). You can read about the Olympic Rain Shadow here, if you're interested. Anyway, we weren't in it, although we could see its effect clearly. The I-5 interstate also runs through that valley, so we could hear the traffic very well, except for those times on the hike when we were sheltered by the south ridge.

Ward, Linda, Barb, Kirk, Jay, Victoria, Melanie, Ellen

I got this picture of the group at the overlook, except for Al and Mikey, who were still making their way to join us. Jay has joined the group for the first time, but I suspect it won't be the last. He said he had walked with the other Trailblazers group, but they stopped too often for his taste. He didn't get that from us, which is why most of us use hydration packs for water: if I didn't have mine I wouldn't be drinking nearly often enough. Here's a closeup of Jay.

Jay at the overlook

I saw the fog beginning to come up the valley, and I said, "Jay! Over here, quick!" I wanted to get him in the picture before it disappeared. He was happy to comply. In any event, he dashed right over. After a short break, we decided to head back down to Squires Lake for lunch, since it was still too early to stop quite yet. We arrived at the lake for lunch at about 11:30, so once we ate and covered the short distance to the cars, we headed back to the Center. I got this arty shot while at the lake.

Trees, ice, reflection

By the time we got back from our short hike, we had covered almost six miles and somewhere around a bit more than a thousand feet of elevation gain and loss. Not one of our harder hikes, for sure, but with the rain pattering on my hat, I knew that it wasn't going to be one of those days when we lingered over our lunch. All in all, it was way better than sitting around the house and wishing I was outdoors, and as usual the company was superb.

:-)