The Senior Trailblazers were given a short respite from the constant rain we've been having lately here in Bellingham. Sixteen of us gathered at the Senior Center under clear skies, but it was obvious that the weather would be changing soon. Fortunately we didn't have far to drive and had a very nice trail to hike on. I found
this link giving some information about the Reserve:
The forest is largely undisturbed and displays characteristics of an old-growth forest, including douglas fir trees over 400 years old, a wide diversity of tree species, snags and decaying logs, and a complex architecture of canopy, understory, shrub layer, and tapestry of the forest floor.
The various trails cover around four miles, so we started out taking a 2.5-mile loop twice around, giving us just under seven miles total, with a few hills and valleys, but nothing like our usual half-mile of elevation gain and loss. It was a wonderful day, and I got to visit with my old BFF Diane, who winters in the warm climate but is here for the holidays. This picture of her and my new friend Holly shows that it was not a cold and wet day at this point.
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| Diane, me, Holly |
Am I really that short? (Yep, dang it.) The pictures are taken with my old camera, which works just fine for the blog, but I will replace the stolen one with an even better zoom for bird pictures. You can see I look a bit tired from the ordeal of the last few days, but I am continuing to recover. I hope you will read my
previous post, if you haven't already, for the important lessons of vigilance to keep you relatively safe from fraud. Lots of valuable information was left in the comments, too.
The clouds came in and the skies began to darken, as you can see here. By the time we thought about making a third time around the loop (visible in the first picture if you enlarge it), the rain was coming down pretty seriously, so we opted to head back to the Senior Center to share our lunch in a nice warm setting. We did the same thing last week, one benefit of going out on nearby hiking trails and taking shorter trips.
Peggy is standing by one of the two ponds in the Reserve, which apparently supports beaver activity, but we didn't see any evidence of them. This picture was taken just before that light rain began. No sign of the sun or wildlife, other than the runners that kept passing us by. One guy we saw zip by us several times. A wonderful place to re-create in nature. I'm happy I get to hang out with all these old folks!
:-)
I'm looking forward to being a senior and being able to joing a walking/hiking group without it being treated as a singles group!
ReplyDeleteNot that seniors are beyond dating, but the last group I joined seemed to be a bit of a moving meat market, lol. Love your hikes and walks with FRIENDS.
Yes you do look a little tired on this picture, but still very pretty! Love your glasses. I can't find that type and the newish squarish ones really don't suit me at all.
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny when out for a walk and you keep seeing the same people looping round. Always makes me giggle for some reason.
I noticed you looked tired before you mentioned that you did. And, I was surprised that you were short. For some reason, I have imagined you as tall.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see you hiking again.
It's no wonder you are looking a little fatigued. An ordeal like that really taxes your body. Great picture anyway.
ReplyDeleteActually, I don't think you look as tired as your new friends. You just look like you've been on a nice hike. But you are petite. I'm big. I always always wanted to be "petite". Ah well.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of really dumb questions DJan. Why do people use the hiking pole things? Do they help your knees? Also, what do you guys carry in your back packs?
You see, this couch potato likes seeing herself as going on hikes come spring. We'll see about that. :)
Thank you. That looks like a wonderful day, and I am so glad you shared it with us. I agree with Star about your glasses. I recently had to get some new ones and the only frames available are too small for my face.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are seven feet tall (at least) to us in the blogosphere.
DJan, you aren't short! Holly and Diane are just taller than your are.
ReplyDeleteThe reserve looks like a great place to explore as well as hike. I love any old-growth forest and especially the Douglas firs. Too bad some of the wildlife didn't come out for a visit.
It looks like your weather was about the same as ours, we had a break through the day but now the rain has returned.
you may be short but you are tall in my book...ha....as tall as the mountains you climb....
ReplyDeleteYou guys aren't OLD by any means. Lol. What a nice way to hang out with friends. Your camera did a good job of capturing the fun you all had.
ReplyDeleteI think your old camera is really doing a great job. I LOVE your silver hair color. You all look very lovely and healthy!
ReplyDeleteI think that when you hang around with active vigorous people the energy from them rubs off on to you. The older they get the better they are. I skate with an 89 year old. He's still an excellent skater. Hope that you get some relief from rain but the weather map looks terrible...rain way out in the Pacific.
ReplyDeleteI didn't notice tired. All I saw was the smile. ;)
ReplyDeleteBeing around a group of great people like you have there is a spirit lifter if ever there was one. Looks like another good hiking day.
I'm glad you'll be getting another camera with zoom for the bird pictures and things like the hoar frost!! I love those!
Best to you in the coming year, sweet lady!! :):)
I'm glad you had a few hours of rain respite in order to hike in what looks like a beautiful reserve. I've told Jessica that I want to come up this spring and take in a couple of your wonderful hikes! This one sounds like a nice one for me to manage! (I'm back to PT as I can't go down steps without pain at the moment!! grr)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great adventure it has been for me to follow along on your hikes vicariously through your blog. I can't wait to read more in the coming years!
Sounds like a good time even when the rain came calling.
ReplyDeleteYou may look a little tired in the picture, but you have had a lot to contend with this week. Do you have any chocolate left?
I looked at your link for Stimpson Nature Reserve and the map. It looks like my kind of place. Those shorter walks would be just right for me. I would not be up to the longer hikes because the point of return takes so much longer. I like a "bailout" possibility. It sounds more open to conversation possibilities than endurance hikes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rita-I didn't notice the tiredness but how happy you all looked. I'm sorry your camera is gone; I remember how excited you were about it. What are you planning to get to replace it? I'm glad you still had your old one so that we didn't have to miss out on your adventures!
ReplyDeleteI have been out for a neighborhood walk the last two days. It feels so good to gt outside into the fresh air.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a lovely place for a walk. I hope to do some sort of a destination walk on Sunday, with camera of course.
Happy 2012 to you, DJan! Thank you for your wonderful blog. I love hiking vicariously with you.
ReplyDeleteYou look happy to be out on the trails again! :o)
ReplyDelete