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| Hiking up the Goat Mountain trail |
Seventeen Senior Trailblazers met at the Senior Center to hike up Goat Mountain today, one of our favorite Mt. Baker Highway excursions. It was sunny and hot the whole day. Hot for us might not be the same as it is for some of you, but it was well over 80°F (27°C). We broke into two groups, since the wilderness area regulations don't allow more than 12 people in one group. The faster group left before us, as we made our way up the steep grade. The first part of the hike is in heavily forested area, with plenty of shade, which was great.
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| Mel admiring the glacier lilies |
The meadow is in full sun, which we had to navigate up to the viewpoint. Although it's hard to see them in this picture, that field is filled with glacier lilies, which emerge for a short while after the snow recedes.
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| Seeing everybody up ahead |
And then the hard part starts: going very steeply uphill to the viewpoint, and I began to fall behind. I was sweating profusely and worried about staying hydrated and got a little dizzy at about this point, so I slowed way down. But eventually we all made it up to the viewpoint.
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| The viewpoint, Mt. Baker, and our lunch spot |
We settled in to enjoy our lunches, with a light breeze making it possible to sit in the full sun and still be relatively comfortable. The shade was sparse, but we didn't stay up there too awfully long. The mountains were splendid.
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| Mt. Sefrit with Mt. Shuksan on the right |
We don't get a chance to see Mt. Sefrit very often, and this is one of the best places to admire it. Mt. Shuksan and Mt. Baker are often in my pictures, and today they were just beautiful, too.
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| Me and Mt. Baker |
Melanie took this great shot of me. I laughed when I saw that Al is also in the picture, reflected in my sunglasses. I'm not sure why I couldn't see Mel, but we then got busy taking pictures that showed different views. Like this:
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| What a gorgeous view, eh? |
And then it was time to make our way back the way we had come. It was a long but really wonderful day. I'm feeling the warmth from the sun on my cheeks, but otherwise I'm doing quite well. We covered over seven miles and 2,700 feet up and down.
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| Our return trip |
It was a lovely day, and although I had a little problem with the heat and sun before lunch, I rallied and had no problem on the return. There's a reason this hike is rated "hard" -- we will all sleep well tonight!
:-)
You are getting up there now, into the high country! No more snow fields, but flowers instead!
ReplyDeleteHard indeed Jan. Such a beautiful area though. The photos are beautiful. I love the sunglass reflection!
ReplyDeleteSmiling at the reflections. And awed at your stamina.
ReplyDeletegorgeous day, and a BIG group!
ReplyDeleteSteep trails take it out of you. I go short distances with lots of very short breaks..a few puffs and I'm on my way.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you listen to your body and while you persist, you don't feel the need to go for the record. Loved the reflections.
ReplyDeleteAmazing landscapes- well worth the effort!
ReplyDeletePerfect clear day for the mountain views even if it was too hot. Sometimes you just need to rest for a bit, but you recovered well. :)
ReplyDeleteLooks hot and dry, but the colors of the landscape are quite beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThe view is indeed splendid. We've been having a hot streak too. Almost 100! Minnesota is a land of extremes.
ReplyDelete80 is warm for you guys and warm to hike in. Glad everyone had a good day! :)
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that gets me about the Northwest ... it's 80 degrees, and you see snow!
ReplyDeleteI love your 'creative' gorgeous view photo! Yes, 80° DOES sound 'hot' for y'all.
ReplyDelete