Rock Trail to Gates Overlook

Seattle Sombreros on me, Carol and Peggy

Only seven Senior Trailblazers showed up for what was likely to be a wet, soggy hike. It rained all night long, but Al had thought that we might actually have a break in the weather if we were lucky. And you know what? We were! I did go out and buy myself a Seattle Sombrero after seeing how well they work in the rain. I know you're not surprised. It is now hanging happily next to my Tilley hat. We started at the Larrabee State Park parking lot and headed up to the Lost Lake trail.

Peggy, Carol and Sharon with wet hats

As you can see, it began to rain not long after we started up the road. Sharon is wearing a Seattle Sombrero hat, too, so you can see I am right in synch with all the ladies. (I thought it was a different brand, but there is the logo right in front.) It rained on us, but just about 10:30, after we'd been out for a couple of hours, the rain stopped. Completely.

Nice waterfall

I take a picture of this waterfall almost every time we pass it. We meandered up the old logging trail that joins the Lost Lake trail and leads us to the Rock Trail. Although it was dry for hours in the middle of the day, it was obvious that it had been raining hard for awhile. The muddy ground made it slippery now and then, but mostly it was just fine.

Al, Sharon, Rich, Steve, Carol, Peggy

From this high point, we hike downhill until we reach the Rock Trail junction. And then it's a climb to the Overlook. The last time we were on this trail in December, we walked on icicles. Today it was in the mid- to high 50s F, so it felt relatively warm as long as we were moving. There was quite a bit of wind, but for most of the day we were protected from it.

Mossy tree on Rock Trail

I am always in awe of the rock face on this trail, with its striations and natural beauty. Steve worked on this trail, which was only finished about a year ago, and he joked that it wasn't easy putting all the ferns in at just the right angle to make them look natural (they were already there). I am so glad we all get to enjoy his hard work on the trail itself, though, because it's a really beautiful place to visit.

There was sun in Bellingham, but we were in fog

Once we got to Gates Overlook, we could see that it had indeed cleared up down in Bellingham, but the fog came and went and we never had a really nice view. We also didn't see the sun today, but considering what we were expecting, no one was at all unhappy.

Foggy descent

We walked on the road to the Overlook for a short ways until we came to the Fragrance Lake trailhead, and made our way back to the cars, covering more than eight miles and 2,400 feet of elevation gain and loss. We were all exclaiming on our good fortune with the weather, when about a half mile from the cars it began to sprinkle. Nobody minded.

Selfie in my Seattle Sombrero

It also gave me a chance to show you how well my new hat works. It really is like wearing an umbrella: I could hear the patter of rain but I was perfectly dry, as were my glasses, for the entire time. The only downside to the hat was when I took it off: hair going every which way! That's okay, I am very happy with my new purchase, and you can bet it will be with me on many more hikes.
:-)