Oyster Dome from Samish Overlook

A gorgeous day at Samish Overlook

Today eleven Senior Trailblazers met at the Senior Center to arrange carpooling to Samish Overlook, where we would begin our almost-seven-mile hike. We had three new hikers with us, and John took his name off the list once we got there, so he could make a longer hike than we were planning. He is a very strong hiker and I could understand, but I was happy to make the shorter hike myself.

Our three new hikers and Cindy, our leader

I spent most of the uphill part of our hike just behind Diane, one of our newbies. She was so nice to make sure I was okay when we would confront a stumbly-possible section; I felt quite well taken care of. As usual, I was again the oldest person on the hike, and that meant I felt an obligation not to mess up too badly. All went swimmingly, I can report.

The view from Oyster Dome

It was a simply wonderful view from Oyster Dome. We stopped here, and although it was early for a leisurely lunch, we spent a bit of time enjoying not only the view, but the company, and learning about our new members.

Heading back on Max's Shortcut

Once we began our descent, we decided to make it a loop, coming back via Max's Shortcut (although it's really longer), and finishing with the Larry Reed trail before reaching our destination and starting point.

My favorite trillium from today's hike

As we lost elevation coming down, we started seeing trillium everywhere, some in bunches, and this one, which smiled right at me as I captured its beauty. I love them so much and they always make me think of my friend Melanie, who loved every last one. She is now capturing them in Wilsonville, Oregon, but she is right there with me every time I admire another trillium.

We covered just under seven miles, and around 1,300 feet of elevation gain and loss today. We were all delighted with our day's accomplishment, and meeting and enjoying our new members. I cannot be happier with my day!

:-)