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| Today's Group 2 (plus me behind the camera) |
It was a gorgeous day for a hike, which might be one reason there were ten of us Senior Trailblazers at the Senior Center, ready to head out to one of our favorite places, Blanchard Mountain. We had three newbies with us, all of whom did great as we made our way from the Upper trailhead parking lot to North Butte. Today's leader was Helen, and she took us up to the junction seen in the above picture.
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| Lizard Lake |
From there we took a short side trip to gaze at the lake before heading up (and I do mean up) the trail to North Butte. Although it's not all that long, it's a continuous uphill slog. On such a beautiful day, everybody seemed to be having a good time and nobody was struggling (outwardly anyway; I kept from sharing) until we made it to the top.
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| North Butte trail |
This is one of the more level places on the North Butte trail, but before long we were at the summit, along with the steel bench, bolted onto the rock, that I've shown you on other excursions.
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| Bench in foreground, Helen having lunch |
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| It was a great view |
Although it was mostly sunny, there was a cold breeze as we sat gazing out at the view, and being in the shade, we didn't stay for a really long time. We did, however, take the time to enjoy John's wonderful chocolate chip cookies as a delightful repast to finish lunch before heading back down.
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| Lots of green, sunshine and shadows |
It was fun to talk with some of our new members, and since they had not been on Blanchard Mountain before, I wondered if they liked it as much as I do. Apparently the answer is yes, and they will be back. I've seen this place in snow, rain, heavy winds, but not often on such a perfect day as we had today. We returned to the cars via the Alternate Incline trail, making a loop hike out of it.
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| Beautiful trillium |
And of course, there were trilliums in bloom everywhere. I think we must have seen several dozens, along with woodland violets and bleeding heart plants in abundance. We covered well over eight miles and around 2,200 feet up and down, which might explain why my feet are tired now. But it was truly an exceptional day in the mountains with good friends.
:-)
Truly a classic blog post covering a group of seniors hiking Blanchard Mountain. Neat photos. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am so very happy with and for you. I hope the tired feet thing doesn't last long.
ReplyDeleteI've always said, "That there isn't a hike I wouldn't do over again."
ReplyDeleteWhile lowland tulips have turned pink and faded, your mountain trilliums are still fresh and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSounds a wonderful walk despite the uphill struggle. Good company and great views make it worth the sore feet.
ReplyDeleteFun to have some new people. That is so sweet of John to bring cookies to share. What a wonderful group to hike with! :)
ReplyDeleteI never tire of the trilliums you share. I’ve only seen them once here. Another great adventure, Jan.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous day for the hike!
ReplyDeleteGlad for you that you keep getting out there in your beautiful places.
ReplyDeleteAnother great hike with friends... and cookies!
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