Thursday, October 28, 2021

Rainy walk today

Dark morning

I knew when Mel and I set out for our Thursday walk that it would be raining, since it rained all night and the forecast is for another several inches before it is all over. The rest of our Senior Trailblazers stuck with the schedule and went to Blanchard Mountain (I think) to hike up to Lily and Lizard Lakes. Insted, we went over to the Interurban trail from the Chuckanut trailhead, which would give us a chance to turn around quickly if it got too bad.

But no, it was actually rather nice. Although as you can see from the picture above, many of the leaves are on the ground already, mostly blown down during our last windstorm. I wore two raincoats, thinking I could stay dry that way, but I got too hot and had to remove one. 

Diamonds on the maple branches

This trail is open and flat the entire way, with the exception of one spot of uphill and downhill, very short but enough to give us a total of 600 feet up and down. After we had been out for a while, the rain lessened enough for us to be quite comfortable.

Waterfall and fall foliage

There weren't that many chances for pictures, but I did enjoy this waterfall, which in previous visits was not as lively as it was today. The fall leaves add a nice accent, don't you think? I remember one time when it was so full that it splashed all the way across the trail, but not today (so far at least).

Misty and rather damp trail

We chatted as we walked, enjoying the coming and going of the rain, and being thankful that we have such an interesting trail right here in town. Here's a little information about it from Wikipedia:

The Interurban Trail is a rail trail in Whatcom County, Washington. It runs 6.6 miles between Fairhaven and Larrabee State Park in the Bellingham area. Popular with hikers and bicycles, the trail runs parallel to Chuckanut Drive through the Chuckanut Mountains.

The fact that it is a "rail trail" explains its flatness, since it once was a rail bed. It also gave us occasional glimpses of Bellingham Bay.

Peeking out at the bay

 It was a really nice way to spend our Thursday, hiking together on a flat and really pretty trail. We managed to get seven miles out of it, and on the way back the rain really began to pick up, making me very happy to be heading home and not somewhere out in the middle of it, with a long way back to safety. All in all, I think we made a great decision!

:-)

18 comments:

  1. You are getting a lot of rain . Good for you for getting out when it rains.

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  2. Glad you enjoyed your walk in the rain. Guess you have to get used to that in the PNW.

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  3. Beautiful colors, and so serene.
    I would enjoy walking in the rain, surrounded by those gorgeous views.
    Thank you for sharing DJan.
    Hugs,
    Jo

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  4. That looks like a gorgeous hike. So different from my desert hikes!

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  5. That waterfall is an appealing sight to see.

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  6. Without a doubt this trail would be my FAVORITE where I'd return often! So pretty. My favorite is the long perspective of the tree-lined trail in the mist! Wow...breathtaking

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  7. I love it when communities pave over old rail heads and make lovely hiking trails. Smart recycle. Really enjoyed clicking on the maple with bling. It was quite gussied up with diamonds.

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  8. I liked the misty trail. Nice capture.

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  9. Your trail (and blog) had a real peacefulness to them, DJan. 7 miles, that's quite the jaunt!

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  10. Pretty hike! That is a good distance to cover. :)

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  11. That is a gorgeous area but then again, you have no shortage of beautiful places to walk and hike there. Just gorgeous!

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  12. Nice to have a flat trail, esp. when it's wet. Glad you had a good day.

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  13. Glad you had a good walk. Rain is my least favourite kind of weather for walking but you made the most of it and still managed to provide us with some good photos.

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  14. I love that picture of the waterfall and the surrounding foliage. Very pretty.

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  15. A good choice for a dark rainy day, and good that you got it in before the wall of water that was the afternoon set in.

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  16. I wonder what the weather will be like next weekend. I'll be in Seattle to carry my new little grandson and then fly back in a couple of days. My last day will be spent at IKEA near the airport. I just love that store and will dine on Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce.

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  17. A flat, pretty trail would definitely be my cup of tea. We would love some of your rain in Hawaii.

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