Thursday, February 1, 2018

Oyster Dome 2018

Melanie took the picture and sent it to me
Fourteen Senior Trailblazers showed up to hike up to Oyster Dome in the rain! I wasn't among them, since I woke with a sore throat a couple of days ago and have been fighting to keep myself from getting more indisposed with pills and potions. I'll be traveling to Florida on Monday, and I knew that a hard hike in the rain was probably not the best idea. I asked Melanie to send me some pictures, and was I surprised to see the number of people who came out to enjoy the wet and cool weather.

I was sorry to miss the hike, but I knew it was the right thing. I walked to the bus stop and went to the coffee shop instead and then attended an hour-long class, my usual 9:00am class that I don't ever get to take except on Tuesdays (T-Th) since I'm hiking on Thursdays. My guys were at the coffee shop, so I asked someone to take our picture.
What I did instead
Meanwhile, Chris was leading the group up the Oyster Dome trail, which has been recently renovated so that the steep trail and gnarly tree roots are no longer a factor. It's now actually quite pleasant, although steep. And all of us were so relieved to learn that the entire Blanchard Mountain forest block has been saved from logging! The whole article is here, but the important part is this:
Great news! The state legislature finally passed a Capital Budget on January 18, 2018, including full funding to save the core of Blanchard State Forest from logging. The iconic trails, forests and habitat around Oyster Dome, Lily Lake and Samish Overlook will now be preserved for future generations!
I asked Melanie if she had any stories about the day, what it was like, and she was happy to tell me that it rained most of the time; there were no views from the Dome, but one view of Samish Bay was fairly good.
Samish Bay from the overlook on the way up
 Once they reached the Dome, it was obviously not conducive to having even a short lunch, so after a quick look, they headed back down the way they had come.
Chris in full rain regalia
I know all these views intimately, having gone up and down the trails, old and new, many times. Although it's fun to see the pictures, given my fragile state, I'm glad I got to live it vicariously and stayed warm and dry instead. The illness I picked up seems isolated to my respiratory tract, and even though I felt in danger of losing my voice for awhile, I'm much better today.

So that's the news from the very wet Pacific Northwest Trailblazers! Although my friends will benefit from the exercise, six miles and 1800 feet up and down, I'll be (hopefully) all well before enduring a seventeen-hour-long travel day!
:-)

14 comments:

  1. We have a ridge of high pressure over us, keeping all the rain away, so you are getting it all.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You lucked out an misses a very unpleasant hike. Get rid of that cold !

    ReplyDelete
  3. Coffee with the guys sounds like a good decision!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good choice to stay home and rest. Sounds like a miserable hike anyway. Safe travels.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes, we were back to rain again today, but at least it was moderate, not a deluge.
    It was smart to skip the hiking today. I hope you get over your respiratory condition fast and didn't share your germs with your friends.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It must be hard for you to miss the hike but you did the right thing for sure. Take care! I hope you are better for Monday!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good thing you didn't go. That might have forced you cancel your trip. Hope you are totally better by Monday. Maybe wear a mask on the plane as those places are petri dishes of germs. No need taking your sister an unwelcome present.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I pray you will stay healthy and make it down for your trip and stay healthy while you are down there, too! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hope you are feeling better today. Gargle with salt water and drink hot liquids... may help some. Staying out of the rain was probably a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  10. hope you get well enough to not have it hamper your trip!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You KNOW you made the right decision. It's the worst feeling to be sick on an airplane. You want to be in tip top shape for your trip to Florida. It sounds like you all are getting a lot of rain in your area these days.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Enjoy Florida! The weather today: 70 degrees!

    ReplyDelete
  13. ...well I DO HOPE you're feeling much better when you arrive to be with your sister!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Excellent decision! Hope you recover from your illness and can travel to Florida without mishap.

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments! If you see a word verification box here, just ignore it. I don't use the darn thing and Blogger is trying to get us to use it, I guess. Ignore it and your comment will still appear.