Goose Rock and more

Walking around Cranberry Lake

I decided this morning to go with the "relaxed" group of Senior Trailblazers, rather than do Oyster Dome again so soon after our last visit. My knee complained mightily then, and today's group had decided to drive to Anacortes to make a hike up Goose Rock, one of my favorites in the area. We started the trip with a short loop around the Cranberry Lake trail, with this wonderful moss hanging from the trees. In other years, I've seen eagles here, but not today.

Discussing alternate route plans

When we went through the gate into the park, we were informed that a rock slide has occurred near the Deception Pass bridge, closing part of the trail, and that meant we would not be able to make our usual excursion from West Beach to the Goose Rock trailhead. Instead, we had to make a detour in order to get to the other side of the bridge highway.

This detour took us under the highway

We walked through the many campsites in the park, on our way to the other side of the closed trail, so that we could start our hike up to Goose Rock.

Magnificent trees everywhere

I love the wonderful trees that grace this park, big cedars and firs that have been around a long, long time. This one appealed to me, so I added it to my collection of favorite tree photos.

Can you see Mt Rainier?

It is not often that we have a good view of Mt Rainier once we get to the top of Goose Rock, but today, you can see it on the horizon. You can also see one of those pesky Growler aircraft that we had to endure all day long.

More of the Goose Rock view

The Navy base where the aircraft take off and land is visible in this picture, in the topmost part of the bay. Another Growler is also visible in the air.

Our lunch break

We had a nice place to have lunch, once we reached the top. The weather was mild, but the noise from the aircraft was intolerable. I've been coming on this hike for years, but I have never before experienced such loud and constant noise, the kind that hurts your ears and vibrates through your body. On the way back, we did a little research and found that several dozens more of these aircraft were added earlier this year, and they are also definitely louder. The Whidbey Island residents have filed a lawsuit over the increased noise.

Our Trailblazer crew today

This picture was taken as we headed back down the trail. Andre is the photographer, since I managed to mess up the one I took of the group. Anyway, once we were on the portion of the trail that puts us with some terrain between us and the Navy base, it was much quieter. I cannot think how people manage to live here these days.

Pretty little mushrooms

On our way back, we saw many beautiful forest mushrooms of every size and shape. Not knowing what they are, I cannot name them, but I can tell you they make beautiful little forest scenes.

Mt Baker in the distance

On the return trail, we had a lovely view of another one of our favorite mountains. Although we didn't get to enjoy our usual walk along the beach on the way back to the cars, we did appreciate both the scenery and the company. Many of the people in this group are ones I have known for a long time, but others were new to me. We covered more than eight miles and about 1,200 feet up and down, less than half what the other group did, I'm sure. My knees were very happy with my decision, and we got a good workout. too. I'm ready to kick back and put my feet up. Another good day!
:-)

The noisy world we live in

From Green-Mom

I've noticed that when I ride the bus in the morning, somewhere around half the people I see have earbuds in their ears, or in some cases are wearing full-sized headphones. I don't know what most of them are listening to, because I can't hear anything. There is the occasional one, however, usually a young person, whose volume is so loud that I can hear the beat of their music and wonder what it sounds like inside their head! Or a car will go by that has the volume turned up so loud that I can feel the sound inside my entire body, even when their windows are closed.

Noise pollution is real, and there's no doubt in my mind that it's getting worse. I live around a mile from Bellingham's International Airport, which has recently added more jet noise. I don't really mind it, and in some ways it's easier to deal with because of its regularity. Train tracks run by somewhere around the same distance away, and during the night I can hear the lonesome sound of a train passing by. If I lived closer to the tracks, I think it would bother me quite a bit, but many people who live nearby say after awhile you don't hear it any more.

When I visited my sister, I was quite taken aback when I attended her yoga class and found that the instructor (young, of course) played music at a fairly loud volume, with singing and a beat included. My massage therapist plays a very soothing, light music during my massage, but this was NOT in the same category at all. Noise pollution is so insidious that it seems most of us has learned to shut out the worst of it. I found this page about noise pollution, what it is and what it does to us. That link goes to the American Tinnitus Association. I don't have tinnitus, but I know lots of people who do: a persistent ringing or other sound in the ear that is the result of damaged hearing.

The event that has reminded me of how easy it is to get accustomed to regular sounds is that of our downstairs neighbors moving out. These are not really big apartments, less than a thousand feet of living space, and they are a young couple with two teenagers and a baby on the way. It wasn't big enough for them, but I was amazed at how loud they were, and how silent it is now. It's almost spooky.

Someone else will move in, and I'm hoping it will be a nice little old lady like me, maybe one who likes to feed the birds and likes it quiet, whose hearing is not so far gone that she needs to turn up the volume too awfully loud. The two of us use headphones when listening to TV alone, so that the other person doesn't feel the need to listen in. But we're rather unusual in this increasingly noisy world. I can always hope for a positive change. I'm feeling hopeful, and a little nervous about what the future holds.
:-)