Thursday, September 2, 2010

Boulder Ridge

I actually thought about calling this Senior Trailblazer hike "Boulder Bog" because it was, well, sloppy and treacherous in many places. Our payoff was seeing this view of Mt. Baker, where you can see the two distinct peaks. Twelve Trailblazers left the Senior Center at 8:00 but were not on the trail until after 10:00am because of the long drive to the trailhead (65 miles). However, the weather was perfect for this new (to us) hike. From the Ken Wilcox book:
The Boulder Ridge trail, nearly a century old, is in rough shape. It was scheduled for reconstruction but the work has been delayed. Until that happens, expect a muddy, well-used route with some logs and steep sections.
Yes, that describes it exactly. We passed through a bog that tried to pull us in. Linda, on the way back, stepped in a place that grabbed her boot all the way above her gaiter. I heard the sucking sound as she pulled her foot out! The hike began in a nice meadow and wound gently upwards to that bog. I don't have a good picture of it, because I was busy trying hard to navigate my way through it.
As we climbed higher, we had a good view of Baker Lake in the distance. I took this picture with my telephoto which brought it closer. We stopped at about 12:30 for lunch, and some of us left our packs and went on for another half mile for the views. There is a glacier here (Boulder Glacier) that is actually almost gone. What I did see are multiple waterfalls that feed into Boulder Creek.
There are several of these lines of water heading down into the moraine, but the glacier itself is not very impressive. Mt. Baker has many glaciers you can see on different hikes, but I was surprised at how little of this one remains. In another decade, or less, it will be gone.
This picture, from our highest vantage point, shows the creek where all the waterfalls converge. You might notice how different the area looks from our usual Mt. Baker terrain: I don't know the reason for it, but after hiking through wet bogs and picking our way through slippery and steep terrain, this is the payoff: what looks almost like a desert landscape.
We did, however, see lots of old-growth forest, and some of the trees had these mushroomy looking things growing out the sides of them. This one was covered with moisture, I don't know why because it had been quite awhile since it rained. I loved the way the dewdrops decorated it.

In the car on the way back, we discussed the hike. The consensus is that the view of Mt. Baker is well worth the hike, but the treacherous trail, covering a little more than seven miles out and back, needs improvement. I am tired and happy, all the same, and glad to be home with a shower and a glass of wine to complete a pretty perfect day.
:-)

19 comments:

  1. Are you sure you aren't putting yourself through this just so you can have a warm shower and glass of wine?

    The pictures are beautiful but maybe that's a hike a person needs to take only once in a lifetime.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful scenery! You are such an energetic lady!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I assume these are day hikes... not overnight? We are so lucky to have such scenery in the PNW.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Incredible scenery and to think you hiked it! The water decorated mushroom made for a great photo.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks like a rugged but beautiful hike including enjoying some old growth forest. Most interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  6. More stark than your usual walks, this one. It looks like a gigantic glacier has carved a hole in the mountain at some time. We had glaciers in Britain and they came right down to about five miles from where I live. The picture reminded me of a glacial valley I go to and walk in (not quite as high as yours) but similar looking. Must take a picture of it to show you one day. I'm glad you didn't have a mishap. Looks like you came pretty close to it, one of you anyway. Back home with the shower and the glass of wine, well, it tastes all the better for it, doesn't it.
    Blessings, Star

    ReplyDelete
  7. You live in a beautiful area like I only see when I go on vacation. It seems that you enjoy it and don't stop seeing it after being around it a lot. The pictures are great.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow.. very impressive. I love that mushroom shot. I'm sure glad you bring your camera along on these hike. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. yeah i think you got the payoff...between looking down the ravine with the mountains and that fungus shot...welll worth it...marvelous adventures...

    ReplyDelete
  10. That bog your friend got caught in sounds like quicksand (sucking sound when she pulled her leg out). Can you imagine the scene if you fell into it head first? Yeah, my imagination runs wild on this one.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Tired but happy and fulfilled! If I lived there, I think I would join your group, DJan!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is some pretty incredible views! The bog might be a bit much - especially if you're tired. I wonder what that mushroom-like growth was that grew out of the tree?

    ReplyDelete
  13. That view of Mt. Baker would be worth almost any type of hike. The scenery in the ares is amazing. The almost desert-like terrain is starting to look a little like our area, but only if you take away a few trees.

    Sounds like everyone had a great time. Have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a fabulous hike!! So beautiful!!! And as always, you capture it so wonderfully for us with your fantastic photos! So glad to be back and visiting with you again! I've really missed you!!! Love you!! Janine XO

    P.S. Leaving a few exclamation points for you, dear friend, today!!! :-))))

    ReplyDelete
  15. Fantastic hike and love these photos. You will forever remain young and vigorous, DJan!

    ReplyDelete
  16. That fungus is beautiful...! Omigoodness.

    Gorgeous photos. I had no idea Mt. Baker had two peaks. I see Mt. Baker every day, and I had no idea. Amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Your photography is getting better-and it was good to begin with! I think that may be the best photo I've seen of Mt. Baker. I really love the mushroom picture.

    I've never considered that the paths have to be maintained.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Stunning photo of Mt Baker!! What a beautiful hike..thanks for taking us along..I really enjoy your Thursday hikes. You could be a lead woman for a Hiking Company!:)

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments! If you see a word verification box here, just ignore it. I don't use the darn thing and Blogger is trying to get us to use it, I guess. Ignore it and your comment will still appear.