Thursday, February 3, 2011

Lily Lake and water

It was a completely different day than we had on Tuesday. In fact, pretty much the opposite. We even had fewer people than usual; only eleven hardy Senior Trailblazers showed up for a hike in the rain. We drove 18 miles south into Skagit County and started our trek from the Samish Overlook. This picture taken at the Overlook shows the only rays of sun we saw all day, off in the distance.

As we started out in the wind and rain, anxious to get going so we could warm up, we headed uphill toward Lily and Lizard Lakes. After a few minutes, I realized that my Camelbak water bladder was missing the closing piece at the end, and when I tried to take a drink of water, it just kept on coming out! With my fellow hikers yelling instructions ("Hold it upright so it will drain back into the bladder!" "Don't lean forward or it will start again!"), I finally managed to stop the flow and we proceeded on with the hike. Rain coming out of the sky, water flowing out of the bladder, it wasn't lining up to be one of our best hikes. However, the ideas of how to title this blog began emerging from my clever friends: "My water broke and I lost bladder control!" was the best one of all.
We hiked up to the North Butte, which looks out over the bay and Lummi Island (the largish one in the middle), but we weren't happy about having lunch at this point (our usual stopping place), since we were being pelted with rain AND the wind was truly unfriendly. So we headed back down into the trees for this lovely lunch spot.
I know many of you were envious of our snowshoe trip on Tuesday, but I must say I'll bet there's not a reader out there who wishes you were with us today. However, you would be wrong. It was mostly the Pacific Northwest kind of rain, which comes and goes, varying from a light mist to some fairly large drops, but no downpour. We didn't spend lots of time at this lunch spot, getting up and moving on before we got really cold. This spot was sheltered from most of the wind and rain, but it wasn't a particularly enticing place to relax. Off we went to Lily Lake.
If you were to enlarge this picture of Lily Lake, you would be able to see myriad water droplets making pretty patterns on the water. Since this was our destination, we were all happy to head back to the cars and make our way to a drier environment. That would be pretty much anywhere inside, so some of us went back to the Senior Center to have a cup of coffee and dry out a bit before heading home. For the day, we covered almost nine miles and went up and down somewhere around 1,500 feet of elevation.

Although it seems like a bit of an ordeal in many ways, it was truly pleasant to be hiking in the rain, because of my companions, their great attitudes, and proper gear for the elements. Wish you were here!
:-)

16 comments:

  1. I wonder what time it was when you took the first picture, well anyway the second photo reminds me of Taal Lake they look almost the same, keep going DJ. Happy hiking!

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  2. You always hear that the appropriate gear makes all the difference! The photos look like they were taken from two different trips. Still gorgeous as always. I'm glad you had fun and lots of laughs. I giggled over the potential post title.

    Thank you for the tip about Chinese tradition; I've not swept a bit today. Happy New Year to you. I read your BIL's last couple of posts. I know you said he wasn't doing well; I'm sorry. He's rather matter of fact, isn't he? I will keep your sister and niece in my thoughts.

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  3. I love walking in the rain so I guess I would like your hike.
    It sounds like some of the characters are pretty fast at the lip to razz you about the water container problem.
    I missed commenting on the snow shoe hike. I was impressed with the whitenenss of the snow. I'll bet you really kept the shades on?

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  4. Oh, I really think you should have used that title!
    We were outside this moring to finish up a pruning job, thinking we should hurry before the rain came. But it never did rain here.
    There was a time when I could have walked nine miles(!), but not anymore. Do it while you can.

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  5. nice...went hiking today myself...damp but no rain...and bitter cold...but loved every minute of it...nice pics...

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  6. DJan, how are you able to tell us how many miles and how much elevation you have hiked? Do you have some kind of map to make an estimate? Or is it just a wild guess?

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  7. I think I saw an umbrella in that one shot of your lunch spot! It does look wet and dreary..but hey if it is above freezing it would be a good day for me:)

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  8. Our day started out with sunshine but then all those clouds moved in here too. In the PNW if you don't hike on rainy days you will rarely hike at all, I would love to have joined your group today.

    I love the line "my water broke and I lost bladder control", too funny!

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  9. This hike is one that I wouldn't have wanted to make. lol The rain you described is best in summer, not winter. The lake shot is beautiful.

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  10. The thing I have learned since moving to Nebraska is to wear the proper type of clothing for the weather. In southern CA it was pretty much the same all the time so it didn't matter. And the times I lived in other states I wasn't outside much, just did the run to the car, drive somewhere, run inside kind of thing. Here we go walking and are outside so much more. Being one with nature has a new meaning for me now. Your walks with your senior friends are safe, you are a group and not alone, and you wear comfortable and suitable clothing for the hikes. You are an inspiration to us all.

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  11. Gigi, we have two hikers who carry GPS units. Our fearless leader Al uses his to make sure we don't get lost, and Fred carries one too. They often compare notes to see if they agree, but it tells us the distance covered and elevation gain and loss.

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  12. Believe it or not, I understand. I like to ride in the rain as long as the trails are safe and passable for the horses.

    Wearing the right gear DOES make a huge difference.

    As usual, you inspire me to blaze more trails!

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  13. You are a super trouper! I love the misty photo of the islands.

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  14. I watched a series of programs - one right after the other - about Sasquatch the other night and got half afraid of places like those you guys go. I would be looking all around to see if he is watching me. It was a fabulous program with lots of sightings and tracks.

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  15. Beautiful pictures and I bet those pine trees smelt wonderful. Hiking in the rain doesn't appeal to me. The best bit would be the lunch but I SO enjoy doing it through your Blog. Can I have a badge to say I've hiked with you through all these wonderful mountains, please?

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  16. Beautiful pictures, as always. I'm in the PNW right now and love it. I sit here and think to myself after reading your post that it is probably very exhilirating hiking out in the rain! I need to get off my butt now!

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