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| Our lovely trail today |
Because of the heat advisories all up and down the west coast today, all Senior Trailblazer groups called off scheduled trips to the High Country out of caution about old people overheating. One group went off to Whidbey Island to be near the water, and another group decided (I think) to climb Mt. Erie, inland but shady and hopefully not too hot.
Melanie and I decided to stay local and headed off an hour earlier than usual to the Hertz trail, a nice three-mile-long flat trail along Lake Whatcom. When we started out, it was quite cool and very comfortable as we made our way to the end of the trail, thinking we might beat the heat and be done early. I was really surprised by the amount of smoke in the air.
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| Lots of haze |
I suppose if you thought the grey skies were caused by fog, it might not seem to be all that unwelcome. But we knew that the haze is caused by smoke from fires. The orange sky that greeted me when I walked outside at sunrise was my first clue. It might keep the worst of the heat down a bit, I thought.
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| They climbed the tree over and over |
We watched these two young men climb up this old tree and jump into the water multiple times. They were having a great time and told us the water was just fine! They had ridden their Jet Skis over to the area and eventually took off for other adventures.
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| Canadian geese keeping cool |
Then we saw these geese looking pretty in the water as we made our way back the way we had come. It was still quite cool and comfortable as we walked back to the parking lot, but the sun had come out and the temperature had risen by about twenty degrees Fahrenheit. It wasn't until we reached the parking lot that we got a blast of hot wind in our faces. Yes, we had made the best choice by walking our six miles in relative comfort.
Arriving back home, I walked into the living room to see SG glued to the TV, watching the latest news about the surge of troops being sent to Afghanistan, since apparently the capital city is in danger of being overrun at any time. This is terrible news, and I fear not only for the Americans in danger, but also all the Afghani citizens who are facing certain disaster.
I completely forgot about the gentle forest I just left behind and am now in mental turmoil about the situation unfolding across the world. I am sending positive thoughts to all who are suffering and wishing for the best possible outcome.
:-(
I am so glad you got your gentle forest walk in - and do hope you can take your mind back to its beauty and serenity. And yes, my heart hurts for all the suffering.
ReplyDeleteThat smoke in the west has been horrendous...my sister on the western slope can't even see the mountains in her back yard.
ReplyDeleteIt's good reading you two got out early. Pretty views...too bad for the haze
The smoke from forest fires travels a very long way.
ReplyDeleteThere are some things we can do about the heat but not much. You did the right thing by going early.
ReplyDeleteGood walk for you, but poor Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteGood hike for you, glad you beat the heat.
ReplyDeleteThe situation in Afghanistan was bound to happen...American Soldiers cannot stay there forever. The Afghan people must fight their own war....just my opinion.
I think your smoke is coming from Canada. We've had fires over here in the Methow Valley for a month and the air was finally clearing up, and now we have smoke from Canada, ugh! The New York Times reported today that British Columbia is fighting almost 300 fires.
ReplyDeleteSadly, from the great forests of Russia as well. Guess the only thing that we can do is only buy/replace and use what we need. That's Biblical, on like page 2, where Adam and Eve were told to take care of the garden.
ReplyDeleteI fear for the people, especially the women and girls, in Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteYour walk sounds and looks wonderful, despite the smoke. We have heat and humidity here today. It cloaks the continent.
Women get treated like crap in muslim lands. No surprise...when you consider their (false) god didn't trouble himself to come down here to help us. Nope, allah just lounges about somewhere up there, (in space, i guess) and scowls at men - and super-scowls at women and girls.
DeleteThe trail you chose was beautiful. Enjoyed seeing photos from your hike. Even with the haze from the wildfires, the beauty of the area shone through.
ReplyDeleteEven in Arkansas we are getting the smoke. Most often the mountains are covered in haze. A few mornings it mixes with the fog and I can't see my gate. Glad you got in such a nice walk but do be careful.
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad to see Afghanistan fall before our eyes. I fear for the women and those men who worked for us as interpreters.
Your first picture of the trail reminded me of the beautiful forest picture you shared recently.
ReplyDeletePrayers for our planet to heal.
It is very smoky here today. I guess the smoke plague has finally caught up with us west siders too.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got you walk in. I will be so happy when I can go for a cool, if short, walk here.
Reading the paper today I was brought back to the realities of a dangerous world, with the Afghan situation, our deportation of refuge seekers at the southern border, our Covid spreaders, and those diehard election deniers. Uff dah.
I envy you your walk. I am having my hip replaced in four days, and one of my goals is a two-mile walk in my neighborhood sometime in the next month or so.
ReplyDeleteIf we could all be like Thoreau and live near Waldcen Pond. LOL. But, yes, the Taliban have taken over. We can't do anything about it. It was inevitable.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you could have a few moments of coolness in your day, DJan. My daughter in Illinois sent me some photos a couple of weeks ago of a red, smoky sky that she said was supposed to be from the west coast.
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