Thursday, December 23, 2021

Next-to-last hike of the year

What the trail looks like today

Today it was again just Melanie and me as we headed out to the Chanterelle trail, one of our favorite in-town hikes. When we were on this hike last month (November 18), we had a few obstacles to navigate, the biggest one was numerous trees that had blown over during a windstorm and crushed the bridge underneath. Just so you can appreciate the amount of work that the trail crew accomplished, here's a photo of what we had to surmount back then.

That's me peeking under the trees

You can see the crushed bridge just below me in this shot, compared to its state today. The bridge still needs to be rebuilt, but it's passable if you're careful. It was an easy and enjoyable trip today. Although it was supposed to rain today, fortunately the weather held off until sometime later: maybe tonight the rain will begin. 

Lake Whatcom peeking through the trees

We made it up to the viewpoint, where you have several lovely views of Lake Whatcom. As you can see from all the clouds, the weather was definitely unsettled. But so pretty, and as I have already said, no rain. It is 2.5 miles to this viewpoint, and the clouds only added to the beauty. 

More beautiful Lake Whatcom

Looking to the right, we gazed out over the lake and saw Bellingham in the distance in partial sunlight. We were also blessed not to have any wind, either. The temperature was only in the mid-thirties (34°F), but it was really pleasant while we were moving. We didn't stay at the top for long and then headed back down the trail.

Our delightful trail

This is one of my favorite spots on the Chanterelle trail. We are almost back to the beginning, as it's an out-and-back hike, and I needed to show you what a fine place Bellingham is to live in, with numerous hikes like this one. Depending on what the weather does between now and next week, we'll know whether it will be white and extremely cold, as is predicted, or whether it will be more like today: perfect in just about every way.

Yes, we have both snow and below-freezing temperatures on the horizon. But as today shows, those guys can be wrong. I'm hoping it won't be as bad as the forecasts are projecting. Every day it's changed a little, so I'm hoping for the best. In any event, I won't be doing much traveling between now and the end of the year. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve already! I do hope you are set for the holidays and will stay safe, warm, and surrounded with love.

We climbed 1,000 feet and covered just under five miles total. Mel headed off to join a friend for lunch, while I came home to get a nice lunch and sneak a couple of hugs from my newly shorn partner. He's already having to shave again to keep a good seal around his masks.

:-)

18 comments:

  1. Those rain forest trails you hike really do show off a million shades of green. Merry Christmas DJan!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lake Whatcom is indeed beautiful, and you better be careful peeking under those fallen trees! I was thinking of you earlier today DJan, a man on the local news was suing a borough of Pittsburgh for an unsafe walking trail, where fallen trees had caused injuries to him and his wife. And he claimed to be a hiking expert too. Anyway, always enjoy your awesome photos, and I hope you and clean shaven SG have a happy, cozy Christmas. 🙂💕🎄🎅

    ReplyDelete
  3. I admire the tenacity you have to get out and hike in somewhat inclement conditions.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Today turned out to be quite pleasant day, which I noticed mostly from inside, where I was busy. This in indeed a beautiful hike. So glad you had a good day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice that you could avoid the rain and still have a great hike! I bet it is like kissing a new man!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. It sounds perfect, the weather, the scenery, the company and the hugs. Merry Christmas, Jan.

    ReplyDelete
  7. It sounds like a truly blissful day - from beginning to end. Which is wonderful. Here's to many more of them.

    ReplyDelete
  8. A wonderful walk in decent weather for this time of the year. Those views would make it one of my favourite walks too. Merry China's DJan.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sorry predictive text got the better of me there! Merry Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So glad you could get out and enjoy. Really admire the dedicated souls who keep making the trails passable for the hikers. Looks like a lot of work. Hope tomorrow brings you smiles and joy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Merry Christmas! Looks like a lovely walk and they sure did a lot of work. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Absolutely loved that last pic! Beautiful trail...
    Wishing you and your partner a wonderful quiet safe healthy Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Glad that you had a great time. Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Stunningly beautiful and so serene, I can enjoy the calming just by looking at your pictures. Thank you for all of the wonderful posts you have shared with your readers throughout the year, I always feel transported to a different dimension, one you are most fortunate to enjoy often. Have yourselves a very Merry Christmas DJan and hopefully we'll see each other next year.
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

    ReplyDelete
  15. Merry Christmas, DJan to you and your Smart Guy! I'm so glad the rain stayed away so you could get your hike in. I'm always impressed with how far you hike. Two miles and I'm ready to stop. You sure did get some gorgeous views!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a lovely day and hike. I do hope you get many more and your last hike of 2021 is as wonderful as this one.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Looks like a good hike with reasonably good weather. Glad you enjoyed yourselves.

    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.