Thursday, August 2, 2012

Almost too good to bear

What a day! Six Senior Trailblazers started up to hike the Keep Cool trail and decided, once we saw it had been raining during the night and early morning, to change our destination to Hannegan Pass, since it's more open and has better footing. The change was serendipitous, to say the least. The clouds were low, as you can see here, and it was on the cool side. This hike can be very uncomfortable in full sun, but we started out with a nice cloud cover and no rain. We didn't know how high we would get before running into snow, but we decided to give ourselves a chance to at least reach the pass.
I was amazed by the profusion of summer flowers: lots of Indian paintbrush, tiger lilies, lupine, penstemon, thistles, and more. We hiked in relative comfort as we gained altitude, and the snow was amazingly absent until just before Hannegan Pass. Last year, we went up to the pass on August 11 and there was much more snow, as you can see here. However, there was still a bit of snow today.
Hannegan Pass
Once we gained the pass, we thought it might be fun to head up toward the peak, without having any idea that we might actually go that far, considering the time factor and the snow. We noticed, however, as we headed upwards, that the skies actually began to clear.
Peggy looks like she's standing on the edge of the world. Doesn't it feel like it's getting warmer? Yes, it was. The blue skies continued to come and go, and the view just got better and better.
Considering our low expectations for the day, thinking we would have low clouds, little view, and perhaps a bit of rain, as the day went on we got more and more excited and had some trouble making ourselves turn around and head back down. Get a load of this scene with glacier lilies. Remember they don't last long, just a few days or a week after the snow melts.
We finally did decide to head down, after we had covered almost five miles, meaning that we would have an almost ten-mile day. I asked Al to take a picture of this week's contingent of female Trailblazers, and he did. I offer you this to show that we were all having the time of our lives.
Me, Peggy, Linda, Karen, Amy
And then, on our way down, we heard from some other hikers that a BEAR had been sighted just below us, and to keep our eyes out for him. Someone knew it was an adult male, and sure enough, we saw him!
Yes, there he was, snacking away on whatever it is that bears eat. He saw us, I'm sure, but he was unconcerned as he continued making his way through the open field. I was thrilled to get this picture. After a short while we decided that maybe we should tiptoe away (he was about 75 yards away from us and looks closer through my telephoto). As we headed back down to our cars, the skies continued to clear, and we got a wonderful view of Ruth Mountain.
It was one of the best days I've had (I know I'm saying that a lot lately), but it's true. We didn't think today's hike would be one that we will remember forever. It was. We covered almost ten miles and 2,600 feet up and down. Sometimes when your expectations are lowered, and you go anyway, you end up with a day that is, well, almost too good to BEAR!
:-)

26 comments:

  1. well, i was totally impressed by the profusion of wildflowers. then the glacier lilies. then the bear! wow!

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  2. Oh the flowers are lovely..I would not make a good hiker I would be stopping to take photos all the time. A Bear..well you are lucky he likes berries or flowers more than people:)

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  3. Wow! I love all the wildflowers so much!! *grins* The view from up top was stunning and the bear was quite a surprise. So glad you guys didn't interest him. ;) What a fortuitous day for the sights!! Have a wonderful weekend. :):)

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  4. The bear is very exciting. Your numbers seem to be down lately. Do people tend to hike more in the winter than in summer? A lot of things are like that. This hike was quite lovely and the bear was a big bonus.

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  5. Glad you had such a wonderful time. I always enjoy your pictures and stories.

    And seeing a Bear. That was fun. And note, we Bears try to be good natured about Humans being around and taking our pictures. Even the Missis with Cubs would probably have been OK at that distance, which is about three-quarters of a football field.

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  6. What wonderful views you had for this hike. That and the lovely wildflowers.

    And you even got a wildlife sighting. Cool shot of the bear DJan.

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  7. Cute pun, DJan. Yes, I agree that this was one of your prettier hikes. More enjoyable for me, at least. Your photos seem to have more clarity because of the light.

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  8. How absolutely amazing. Thank you so much. The scenery, the snow, the wild flowers and the bear had me getting more and more excited. And the six damsels of distance were wonderful too.

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  9. oh wow....very cool seeing the bear...have seen a few in the wild and def stear way clear....all the vegetation is so bright and lively....very cool....

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  10. Jan...I just notices as I was clicking the comment button the image on your sidebar...the one of the tiny babe's feet cradled in the 'heart' of hands. Awesome.

    Now, to your hike for the day....would you just LOOK at that scenery? Wow. Breathtaking. And lupine...one of my favorite wildflowers. Just gorgeous. I can see why you continued on and on with a view like that at each turn in the path.

    Oh and the bear?!!! When I was young, in Yellowstone, I was chased by a mama bear [she had two cubs up a tree that I didn't see]....I was taking a photo of her and from the lens, I saw her charging me....luckily the car window was open, I jumped through the window just in the nick of time!!!

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  11. What spectacular views and a bear to boot.... Wish I'd been there.

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  12. Stunning views and pictures and and, oh wow, even the bear! How big was he? He looks huge!

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  13. Dear DJan, that scenery is just breathtaking. And the fact that you walk up and then down those mountain trails so impresses me as does your exuberant gratitude for your life. Thank you for sharing all this. Peace.

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  14. There's not a hike I wouldn't do over again and you prove that very often.

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  15. Incredibly beautiful. What an amazing day. My sister lives in a forest - literally, and occasionally has a black bear sighting. They captured one with their motion camera a while back. Very exciting.

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  16. Awesome !
    What fabulous views, and YES, you were on top of the world :)
    I'm glad the bear was more interested in his dinner, than moving closer to you guys, I'm not sure what I would have done ...
    Another lovely hike, and thank you for giving us a glimpse into your world DJan.
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

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  17. Beautiful hike, and a bear besides!

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  18. Ack! 10 Miles??? That is just amazing, especially at that high altitude. I love all those glacier lilies and the Indian paintbrush. The views were so spectacular. Wow! And the bear? Exciting, but also a little scary actually.

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  19. Oh my!!!! This really does look like the hike of a lifetime. It's GORGEOUS. Wildflowers AND snow all in one day. That's totally awesome.
    Thanks for sharing the great pictures. You've got me smiling!
    xoxo jj

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  20. Love the expression "too good to bear" - WOW, love the shot of bear in field - I too, would have been so excited - we are well known for our very common "black bear" here in New Brunswick. So nice to see these fella's from another place. Love the photo of gals with the very impressive background - a view to hunger for. These shots are just stunning DJan, also the lilies and it seems you have again captured the soul of all the mountain passage offers. Thanks so much for sharing with us and I kinda giggled with your reference to your hike as the "best yet ever" - you know that "best ever" happens every time you go out the door. Tee Hee. I love your best evers, as its always an adventure to read. Have a great day :)

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  21. Fabulous and so inspiring - I love it!

    We likewise experienced a lovely surprise day recently. We were in Mammoth Lakes, heading for popular Shadow Lake, but upon reaching it decided we had way too much energy to consider making it our halfway point, so we pushed on to an even higher lake, Rosalie, where we ended up having the lake all to ourselves for over an hour.

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  22. OH, wonderful! I have been waiting to see the flowers on one of your hikes!

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  23. Snow and a bear in the same day in August; what a treat. I would have wanted a photo too, but I would have been too busy putting some miles between the bear and me.

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  24. What a grand adventure. You made me wish I was there with you. I love the pictures, and the story you've created about your day.

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  25. Ohhh.. a bear. What a treat to see. Of course your hikes are always a thrill and a half.

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