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Pretty waterfall on the Two Dollar trail

Eleven Senior Trailblazers met at the Senior Center to start our usual Thursday hike, with the chance of a break in the constant rain we've had all week long. And sure enough, we didn't have any, for a change. It's expected to start again this afternoon, but we were fortunate to stay dry. But we were ready, just in case.

Fragrance Lake reflections

We had planned to start from Gates Overlook and hike down the Rock trail to Raptor Ridge and back again, but the gate on Cleator Road that would have taken us to the overlook was closed, right at the beginning of the Two Dollar trail, which is becoming very familiar to us this winter. So, instead of Raptor Ridge, we hiked up the almost two-mile-long trail to Fragrance Lake, then over to the closed road. The weather was mild and there was no wind, as you can see from this picture.

From there, we had several choices: some wanted to take the shortest route to Gates Overlook, but that meant hiking up the steep Chinscraper trail. Others wanted to extend the hike a bit and follow the road downward to a trail that would take them to the Upper Ridge trail, which leads to the overlook but is more scenic (and longer) than the road. Then there was the option of just trekking up the closed road to the overlook. We ended up breaking up into three groups: five up Chinscraper, four to the Upper Ridge trail, and two trudging almost a mile to the overlook. I was one of the two.

Mt. Baker and the Sisters

From the road, you get a lovely view of the mountains, so I thought maybe I could get a view through the trees, and here it is. You can see that the clouds were clearing a bit, which surprised me, in a good way. Maybe we'd even see the sun.

The view from Gates Overlook

Once we all gathered together again at the overlook, most of us decided to have an early lunch and decide what to do next. We could just retrace our steps or hike down the Rock trail to the Lost Lake trail and then back to Fragrance Lake and the Two Dollar trail. So that's what we decided to do, even if it would make the hike a little longer.

Lost Lake trail with a little sun

And lo and behold, on our way back, we saw bits of sunshine peeking through the trees. It was a lovely treat to see that yellow light instead of unremitting rain. It was fleeting, but very welcome indeed. By the time we got back down, we had covered around nine miles; some almost ten, those who did the Upper Ridge trail. Our elevation gain and loss was around 2,000 feet.

I am tired now, but not overly so. It was much prettier and easier on our bodies than last week's ten-mile hike on the hard trails in town. I heard stories about unaccustomed blisters, and I know my bunion pained me for days afterwards. Hiking in our lovely forests was much more to my liking, especially with none of the "R" word!
:-)