Thursday, July 26, 2012

Al and his gal pals

Me, Jonelle, Peggy, Amy (and Noriko still hiking up)
Today six Senior Trailblazers showed up for our hike (rated HARD) to Excelsior Pass. Other than Al, we were all of the female variety of hikers. We knew that the route to the summit of Excelsior Pass would be accessible, since Al, Jonelle and Fred had given it a try last Sunday and made it all the way to the pass, but without any view. Al wrote a blog post, complete with pictures, here.

We hit the trail around a quarter after nine, and Noriko decided after an hour or so to hike at a slower pace, since she was beginning to have the beginnings of a cramp in her calf. The rest of us continued on the uphill shady trail before we broke out of the occasional snow patches. The trail was mostly clear, but there were a few segments of snow remaining, although Jonelle and Al said much of it had melted since last Sunday. The sunshine was relentless, once we left the trees. And the glacier lilies:
I know this picture doesn't do justice to the amazing profusion of glacier lilies, which appear for a short while from under the snow fields and are gone again until next year. Once we got to Excelsior Pass, after four and a half miles and 3,500 feet of elevation gain, we had the most magnificent view of one of my favorite sights: Mt. Baker.
I love this mountain. This was taken from our lunch spot. We reached it around 12:30pm, and all of us were ready for a break. We knew that Noriko was still heading up to the pass and that if she didn't make it all the way to the top, we would pass her on our way back down. Our lunch spot had a wonderful breeze keeping us cool the entire time. It was very gratifying to have made it to the summit, after two earlier tries when we had been turned back by the snow.
Although you can't see it in this picture, we had a great view of the mountain while the breeze kept us nice and cool. The view in the other direction was of the Canadian mountains, which is nowhere nearly as spectacular as our Mt. Baker view. But it was so nice to finally have made it to the top. I asked both Peggy and Al to take a few pictures of me to prove that I was there, too. This one (by Al) was the best of them, so I just have to show it to you.
See? It's ME, Mt. Baker, and my pretty 2012 pink sparkly hat. It was one of the best days I've had in quite a while, and now that I've shared it with you, I can head to the shower to wash off the bug spray and sunscreen. Until our next adventure, I hope you are having fun, too!
:-)

29 comments:

  1. that is awesome! the mountain photo is just gorgeous. sounds like a beautiful day!

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  2. Glad that the six of you had a great hike today, and the photographs are fabulous. I can only imagine the view as you sat and ate your lunch. It looks like a beautiful place, and I'm glad that you made it to the summit of Excelsior Pass.
    I hope that Noriko's calf is feeling better.
    Great photo of you that Al took; Mt. Baker is beautiful in the background. Looks like you had a wonderful day today.
    Hugs,
    J.

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  3. Ahhhh... This is so lovely. Thank you for taking these walks for us. I feel like I've burned a few calories too. It's so warm here that this post is like a cool, pleasant breeze.

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  4. wow completely loving your lunch spot..and that mountain looks like a painting....very cool hike...

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  5. Mt Baker is indeed a beautiful mountain. I'm so glad you were able to reach the summit today. Looks like a beautiful day.

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  6. It puzzles me that you need bug spray when you are covered up so much. So are the bugs at lower altitudes and not the higher altitude?

    Very nice pics of Mt Baker.

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  7. Glad you had lots of fun in the process. But really; four and a half miles of hiking and 3,500 feet of elevation gain is absolutely awesome! You will be ready for Mount Everest next year. Or at least K2,

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  8. That is a gorgeous view of Mt. Baker. That alone was worth the hike. I'm glad to see you are getting lots of sunshine for your hike these days.

    Re your comment the other day DJan. We got record rainfall in June and a little in July but now it's hot and dry again.

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  9. What a great destination! Gorgeous photos of Mt Baker and you. Nicely done!

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  10. Just beautiful: you, the mountain and the sky. You chose to live in a great place.

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  11. Lovely photo of you in your element! What a pretty view!..Tell Al all his women rock! :)

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  12. Fantastic photos and, as always, it's fun hiking with you- vicariously!

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  13. Cool and lovely day for hiking DJ! I like your pink hat and I want to thank you for visiting my blog and appreciate your concern! Take care and enjoy life.

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  14. I am happy that you were all generously rewarded for your hard work with that amazing view.

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  15. A great day out. Did Noriko make it to the top in the end? Interesting that it was mostly ladies who took on that challenge.
    My adventure for today involved watching the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics. I am so excited about it, I can hardly contain myself.

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  16. You look happy and strong in the photos, full of vim and vigor. The photos show a lovely hike and a wonderful place for a lunch. Just lovely.

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  17. Dear DJan, that photograph of you with Mount Baker in the background is a keeper! Peace.

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  18. you look beautiful in the mountain shot!
    it is a keeper

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  19. The way you tell this I can feel the cool and refreshing air. Nobody can get the snow lilies unless they've been there.
    There are not many days when Mt. Baker is this open so it's a great shot for you with Mt. Baker behind you.

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  20. Oh gosh what an amazing pic of you with Mt Baker to the rear, love it. Seems like all I have been doing is having fun back in the ole stomping grounds, but no mountains to speak of, your views are much more majestic :}

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  21. Ah, a day you dream of all winter and spring!

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  22. Great photos DJan! That Al sounds like a terrific guy, and I especially enjoyed your photo with Mt. Baker...pretty cool! Hope you have a lovely weekend.

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  23. Takes my breath away.
    I'm not kidding. These pictures make me exhausted!

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  24. DJan, Suzanne over at Life As We Live It recommended I pop over here for a visit since my husband and myself are also avid and passionate hikers. So, of course, reading this blog made my heart race and my legs itch . . . I want to do this hike too!

    All kidding aside, I actually have a question on how you handle altitude hiking of 8,500 feet and higher. I'm finding myself starting to shy away from altitude hikes (not elevation hikes in general - I love a good climb!) because of my tendency to get hit with varying degrees of altitude sickness. Do you have a magic potion you take, or do you just ride it out and accept it as one of the costs of hiking?

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  25. Mt. Baker is beautiful and the photo is framed so nicely, it would look good on a wall.

    Friends who moved to Tucson have been telling us about their hiking with other seniors. They are seeing some challenging hikes but they are new to the experience.

    My granddaughter and I would love your pink sparkle hat.

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  26. Love it, LOVE IT! Gorgeous day and view. I get such a vicarious kick out of reading your blog posts. Your pictures are always so beautiful.

    I loved the one of everyone with their hiking poles! I used to feel like a wimp because I brought them along, but I no longer do. They help immensely and are well worth keeping close! I love my new ones from REI, as they don't collapse on me. Thanks for the recommendations!

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  27. The pictures are all great but the last one especially so....

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  28. The mountain views are amazing. What a beauty in that last image.. the mountain too. ;)

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  29. Nice to be able to comment again. Great photos and I am in awe of the Mountain. I love the photo of you with Mt. Baker in background. This is a great story and so glad you shared it with us. Looking great DJan :)

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