Thursday, June 3, 2010

Goat Mountain

Only nine Senior Trailblazers took advantage of a beautiful sunny day in the Mt. Baker wilderness. There are several reasons this might have happened: the weather on either side of Thursday was predicted to be terrible, and the hike up Goat Mountain was rated "hard." (Last year I never went on these myself, knowing that "moderate" might be at the edge of my ability.) The above picture was created by the mist rising from the recent rain as the sun came out early in the day. That's our fearless leader Al. (Click any picture to enlarge.)
We crossed several streams, mostly the same three streams as we switchbacked up the mountainside. Starting at an elevation of 2,500 feet, we started higher than any of the around-town hikes we make during the winter months. This was our first trek of the season into the High Country. We didn't know how far we would get before being turned back by snow.
As you can see, by the time we got to somewhere around 4,500 feet in elevation, we were unable to be sure of the trail because it was covered by snow. Now and then we would see it, but Al kept breaking through the snowpack and was sometimes breaking through up to his hip. Finally we decided to call it a day, making our day's hike only 7.5 miles and a total of 2,700 feet in elevation gain. We would have had to hike through snow for another 800 feet and somewhere near another mile to make it to the usual lunch spot, the meadow. Snow makes for much harder hiking. But, as you can see, the view was not bad!
Here's a view of Mt. Shuksan from our lunch spot, which emerged from the clouds just long enough for me to snap this picture. The clouds came and went all day, but we were mostly in the glorious sunshine and enjoying our beautiful day. Here's a picture of four of us as we headed back down after lunch:
Although some might have said we wimped out, I am still looking forward to the first time I will reach the meadows of Goat Mountain, and perhaps make it all the way to the summit. For now, I am very happy to have had a day in the sun, magical forest, and snow. On the way back down the road, we saw this glorious view of Mt. Shuksan, so we all piled out of the car and took lots of pictures of this stunning mountain.
With the clouds, the river in the foreground, and the trees in the middle distance, this mountain deserves to be photographed as often as possible. And I promise you, I will! I hope your day is as satisfying as this one was for me.
:-)

20 comments:

  1. Gorgeous photos, as usual! I love the beautiful views. It was sunny, but not hot enough to melt the snow. I can only hike vicariously with you...

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  2. Marvelous shots of this magnificent mountain....and that MIST photo with the sunbeams coming through is mystical...loved these!!!!!

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  3. Enjoyed your photos. I give you a lot of credit for pushing ahead on this hike. It truly looks like a mountain for goats! ha!

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  4. Trust me, I'd shy away from anything rated Hard as well. It sounds like it really was tough going but well worth it. I don't spend much time in the snow but I know you're right about it being much harder to walk in. I had to raise my eyebrows at the 'only 7.5 miles' comment-that's pretty impressive in my book!

    Mt. Shuksan is stunning! Your pictures are fabulous:)

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  5. Mt. Shuksan is truly amazing, especially in that first picture of it. It looks like the snow will rush down on you from that angle. You take the MOST awesome hikes but then, you live in THE most beautiful place!!!!!!!!!!!

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  6. You sound so good in this post. I think the hiking is really good for you. It probably was the wise decision not to try to go any further. So glad you enjoyed your day.

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  7. For a while I thought we weren't going to have a Thursday hike but you came through. Beautiful, just beautiful. Takes my breath away.

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  8. It looks like we missed a good one! We were certainly thinking about you as we watched the clouds clear and the sun come out. Too much time sitting inside at the doctor's office, waiting and waiting for mom's appointment.

    The Cleavers

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  9. What beautiful scenery.....you are in much better shape than I my friend....:-) Hugs

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  10. That must have been a thrilling and tiring trek.

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  11. WOW!!! DJ, these are simply breathtaking! Stunning! I'd be stopping in the middle of the trail to whip out my sketch pad!!! And certainly taking photos over and over again...I won't ever get tired of these, so post away...You take such amazing photographs!!! Hope you have a terrific weekend, dear friend! Love, Janine XO

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  12. It seems there is no shortage of vistas where you live, hike, sky dive,...Beautiful adventures.

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  13. I had no idea that the Pacific Northwest was so beautiful until I started reading about your adventures. I'm glad you didn't get lost in the snow!
    Blessings, Star

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  14. Incredible views DJan, what's a little snow when you have that kind of scenery. I was wondering what kind of weather you had yesterday. We were overcast but today has been sunny so far.

    Great photos today as always. I also wanted to tell you I really liked the one you submitted for Joan's photo contest.

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  15. Oh wow!! These pictures actually *almost* make me want to get off my lazy butt and hike....

    And? Too funny. My "captcha" word was "intense"....

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  16. You had a great hike this day. I'm sure what ever you set you're mind to, you will accomplish!

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  17. What a beautiful view, I think you must live in one of the prettiest areas of the US of A..I thank you for sharing your beautiful views:)

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  18. This is gorgeous! I still find it amazing the hiking you guys do, and ending up in the snow!!!
    In the meantime I spent the morning yesterday at the beach with my girlfriends, and we were wearing a few fewer clothes than in your photos! ;o)

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  19. I read all you last posts. I liked the answers to the questions you received and the questions you asked in a back post. As usual you photos are spectacular. If I click on my Recent Visitors Map on my blog and keep clicking it gets very large and I can see where the people who visited my blog came from. The little flag showing your place is almost in Canada, so far away from me. I am so used to the sun here that I don’t know how I would do with so much rain, even light rain, so often. We get big storms, usually in the afternoons, but they don’t last long and the sun comes back quickly. We have two cats and have to board them when we go on trips, so it’s quite expensive, and we usually don’t go more than 2 weeks at a time. I’d love to spend a month in France with you though, that’s for sure, and I know we could get in all kind of mischief!

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