Thursday, August 25, 2011

Heavenly Church Mountain

I sure did get a lot of grief from my fellow Senior Trailblazers for last Monday's post. Everyone ribbed me because of all the commenters who pointed out that I am getting JADED. Well, today was spectacular in just about every way. When four of us went up to Church Meadow in July, it was covered with snow. In that post, I showed what it had looked like the year before on the same date. As you can see from the above picture, today we were in abundant lush growth and full sun. We made it to the summit.
Ten of us headed up today, last Thursday's group plus Linda and Ward. We kept seeing fields like the one above that have only recently come out from under the snow and are filled with vistas of beautiful flowers. The difference between the flowers from today's hike and that of last week's Welcome Pass have nothing to do with abundance but everything to do with variety. In the foreground you can see huge clumps of false hellebore, nowhere near blooming, but lots of other flowers on the crest of the hill are in full bloom. We did have to cross a few snow fields, not too many, but here you can see the incredible mountain vistas that opened up to us the higher we climbed.
That is our friend Mount Baker hiding its top behind that cloud. As we gained altitude, we saw more and more breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks. It was quite hot but a light breeze helped us out now and then. Once we had left the dense forest and started hiking in the full sun, it was challenging to keep my heart rate in a safe zone.
As I looked down at the flowers, the snow, the views, I took plenty of time to take pictures and catch my breath. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but I was really happy whenever one of those clouds would give me a little respite. Once you reach the final push, there is a 100-foot scramble to the summit. I used my self timer to take this picture on the summit (Peggy and Mike skipped this part).
Al, Fred, Diane, me, Ward, Amy, Linda
You will have to forgive Diane for trying to make Fred look like he has horns. You have to watch some people all the time, and I was busy setting up the self timer so I missed it, but it's still a pretty good picture. We had a great lunch break, but the incessant sunshine was making me long for the shade of the trees at the beginning of this hike.
We headed back down to the cars, with a marvelous day behind us. We covered nine miles and climbed and descended 3,800 feet. I have to say the downhill this time was easier than the uphill climb, even though my knees still complained plenty. Now that I am home and self-medicated with a glass of wine, I'm feeling quite happy for having spent another wonderful day in the wilderness with my best buddies. And now I get to share it with YOU!
:-)

19 comments:

  1. nice...great view...love the lush greens by the pools of snow...

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  2. I can't imagine a more beautiful way to spend the day. What views and all that greenery, too. That path looks soooo intriguing!

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  3. Great shots of your hike. I wish I was still active. What is the plant in the first picture which is hip high? We don't have that here.

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  4. I don't think I could see such beautiful views on Oahu, which is densely populated and over-developed. Lucky you that there is still unspoiled nature to see there in the PNW.

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  5. Whew! That's a hike, for sure! But gorgeous.

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  6. What a beautiful day, the photos are proof! :)

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  7. That looks just incredible. And well deserved self medication to follow. Thank you (lots) for sharing.

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  8. Gorgeous! I am envious here in the flatlands!! ;)

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  9. Aah DJan - great post - I am in love with the scenery - soooo beautiful. This is just stunning - I love the greens n flowers against the snow and mountains :)
    Lets see now, the only excitement we had here yesterday as we were painting barn, was a young deer pop into our yard and watch us paint - not as spectacular as your climb, but NICE. Thank you for sharing and have a great day.

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  10. I think I'd freak out at the top of a mountain. I'm happier in the lowlands. However I do get to enjoy the hike with you and almost! feel like I'm doing it myself. So many different types of scenery that you pass and such clarity of air.

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  11. You gotta have leg muscles that makes weight lifters weep. All that walking up and down ...

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  12. You, jaded? Naw.

    You are my hiker hero.

    The pictures are beautiful and I for one appreciate being able to see them and picture you there with your hiking buddies.

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  13. Yes, DJan, you are my hiker hero, too! As always, you take the most breathtaking photos. What a beautiful day you had! Do you keep hiking year around? (probably not the high elevations, I would guess, as they would be snow bound)

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  14. I do love those photos with the green fields and flowers, it is a stark contrast to our wheat fields right now.

    DJan, it's been a while since I have heard you say you were thankful for the shade of a passing cloud. Looks like summer has finally arrived on your side of the mountains.

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  15. Nothing jaded about these views. I must say I know all about "downhill" being much worse on the knees. And you still keep going. Spectacular....

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  16. this really is fantastic scenery. I'd be scared of the steep-sided hill.

    If things aren't flowering yet, will they ever? There must be an extremely short summer up there.

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  17. I'm impressed on several fronts, but I'll be brief :)

    Scenic and beautiful mountain views...wow! Healthy cardio... wow!
    Finding the right place to call home... wow!

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  18. breathtaking DJan!

    snow in August?! wow!!!

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