Cloudy Saturday

Our trail on Mt. Galbraith

The low pressure system that has been hanging out over the Pacific Northwest the past few days hasn't gone away as quickly as projected. It's still overcast, and on the way home from my Saturday walk with the ladies, it began to sprinkle a little. I just now decided I'll do something different than try to skydive tomorrow, and later today I'm going to the movies with my friend Judy.

Galbraith Mountain trails has been added this summer to our repertoire of walks, and today was the second time we went up. That boardwalk on the right of the walkers is for mountain bikers, who share this trail with walkers and runners. And as you can see, it's very green and quite lovely at this time of the year. I asked if we could take a group shot at the overlook, since we had at least a little bit of a view. We ran into several bikers who were happy to share the trail.

That's Cindy, our leader, in front with the white hair

I took two pictures. In this one, not everyone was present, but it's actually a nice shot, so I decided to put them BOTH in my post to share with you. Behind us you can see Bellingham below, but it wasn't exactly clear and visibility got a bit worse as the day went on. We walked for two hours, though, and everyone worked up quite a sweat (it's humid, too).

Fairhaven Walkers, Saturday group

In this picture, everyone is visible and looks ready for the shot, except for Ebba, who is peeking out behind the two on the right, and another lady whose name I have forgotten. I took the picture, but otherwise everyone is in there somewhere. In the previous shot, you can see Ebba clearly, so that's one reason why I went ahead and just published them both. Heck, it's my blog, and I can do what I want, right?

Anyway, it's a good start to the weekend, and I'm looking forward to taking it easy tomorrow. Relatively speaking, that is. I hope we all have a great couple of days.
:-)

Park Butte 2014

The flowers were abundant, but the view, not so much

Twelve Senior Trailblazers made the long drive from Bellingham to Schreiber's Meadow, where we began our usual trek to the lookout at the top of Park Butte. It's a beautiful place, and it was even beautiful today, although as you can see, there was no view. Last year, we had fantastic views, which you can see here, if you want to know what we missed today.

Bridge to help us cross the stream

There have been a few years when there was no bridge to cross this roaring stream, which today was the color of tea, after the rains of the past few days. We were very glad to have it, and at this point we thought the fog might lift to give us some views of Mt. Baker. Nope.

An enjoyable day anyway

We did think that eventually we would have some bit of a view, but it was not to be, not today. However, there was a good chance we would get rained on, and that never happened. We were quite comfortable during our exertions as we made our way to the lookout. It's a very nice little cabin that looks out over the valley below (see the previous year's post for a picture of it from the outside, looking up at it).

Bob, Sue, Paula, Diane, Rita (I took the picture)

Anyway, six of the twelve of us decided to have lunch inside the cabin, while the others stayed below the final push upwards. They knew there would be no view and little reason not to simply stay below. However, Bob, Sue and Paula had never been inside, so we went ahead and had our lunch there. I kept hoping that the fog would miraculously lift and we'd have a great view of the surrounding mountains, but it didn't happen. I wandered out on the railing to see if I could get a shot, and this was the best I was able to capture to show you what it looked like today.

Nobody had lunch on the railing today (see last year's post)

After a leisurely lunch, we headed back down to our cars to head home. By the time we had finished our hike, we'd covered almost eight miles and 2,300 feet up and down. Although it's not a difficult hike, it's also not trivial. I'm feeling the miles and the toll it took on my recently injured knee. It was worth it, though.

The meadow shrouded in fog

Every once in awhile on the way down, I thought the clouds would lift. They would begin to clear, and then come in anew. So we never had a view of the magnificent Mt. Baker that looks close enough to touch, not today anyway. But the company was wonderful, the day was rain-free, and the temperature darn close to perfect. And guess what? On the way home, it began to rain! Somebody was looking out for us, I think. It was a great day.
:-)

A really wonderful Sunday

Christy, Cindy, me, Dave

Cindy had emailed me to see if I might be available to make a few jumps with her and her husband Dave, since she got recurrent after a winter and spring layoff from skydiving. Even if you have an "expert" license, if you go beyond six months without a skydive, you must follow the Drop Zone's requirements to be able to jump again. Cindy had to hire a coach and spend several hours going over things she needed to be reminded of before jumping, and then she went out of the airplane with him to show she still remembers how to skydive.

We made three jumps together, along with Christy, who joined us for two of the skydives. It was a really fun day, the weather was perfect, and my skydives were extremely enjoyable. My landings were perfect, just a nice easy step onto the ground, and I drove the 75 miles home with a smile on my face. I had to wear weights (they are strapped around my waist) so I could fall comfortably at the same rate as Cindy and Christy, who weigh more than I do. Although Dave does, too, he's got more surface area so I can fall relative to him without weights, but it's much easier to fall faster than it is to slow down if you are heavier. Just some little tricks you learn over the years.

I had been worried about my knee, but it was just fine, never even stressed a little bit on Sunday. Yesterday, Monday, I hopped out of bed and after accomplishing my morning routine, I power walked to the bus station to head to the coffee shop, join my friends, and get ready for my class at 9:00am at the Y. As I hopped onto the bus, however, and made my way to my usual seat, I hit my knee on the edge of the seat, hard. It hurt so bad I practically collapsed into the seat. You know how when you hit a funny bone on your elbow it does the same thing? Yeah, that's what it felt like.

During the ride to town, the pain diminished a little, and I took stock to see what kind of damage my knee had sustained. I could walk all right, and I went ahead and did my aerobics class. I had little pain... but when I tried to walk upstairs, I couldn't do it without holding onto the railing. I went home and iced it and took stock again this morning. It was possible for me to walk downstairs without holding on, but it's still sore going up stairs. It's better today, though, so I think I'll be all right for the hike on Thursday, which I really don't want to miss.

And then yesterday I learned about Robin Williams having committed suicide. It was devastating, as he is a wonderful, dear person who had won my heart in movie after movie. Anyone who has lost a friend or relative to suicide was impacted by this event. I broke into tears when I saw his star on Hollywood Boulevard completely swamped with flowers. Many of us loved him, and my heart goes out to his family, who will never be the same.

It makes me realize that I must again give thanks for today, for the life I have and the positive outlook I have on life. For those who struggle with depression all the time, it must sometimes seem impossible to go on, and the agony of living becomes too much. These days, we have organizations that can help, such as www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org. I hope if anyone reading this either needs help or knows of someone who does, you will take action, in honor of Robin's memory. You never know when something you say or do might actually help another.
:-{

The garden in mid-August

What's left in my plot

As you can see, my pretty sweet pea flowers are still going strong (behind the green watering cans), almost as pretty now as they were when they first began to bloom. Little pea pods are forming, but they are not edible. I've also got beets, kohlrabi, broccoli and leeks left in my garden. And I'll need to go out there and pull up weeds and prepare my area for next year's plantings. I took these pictures just a few minutes ago, so let's go discover what else is out there.

Pumpkin and my shoe on the left

Remember that volunteer squash that showed itself in the community garden? Well, this is what came up from that: one HUGE pumpkin and lots of blossoms that didn't go anywhere. I put my Croc shoe on the left side so you can see how big it is. I don't know what we will do with it, but we will certainly harvest it at some point. There is also a cucumber plant that only has one fruit on it, but it's a doozy.

Well, hello there, big boy

Ha! Just one, and so far nobody has picked it. Every time I go out in the morning to water the garden, I see this, smile, and wonder if it will be taken by someone. I'm not all that interested, but I must say I have a bit of envy when I look at Carol's beautiful onions.

Aren't these fine looking onions?

I will definitely be planting onions myself next year, and these just make me want to sneak out in the dark of night and take one or two. I'll ask Carol if she will share so I can find out what this variety tastes like. I'm sure she will. Oh, and remember those artichokes in Nate's garden?

Flowering artichokes

They are flowering now, which makes me wonder if they should have been picked when they were small, or if they will be edible after flowering. I know nothing about them. But when I came in to take a closeup, I saw that the bees are definitely happy to see them in flower.

Bee heaven

There are at least three bees in that one flower, and they didn't pay any attention to me at all; they were too busy harvesting the nectar inside. And they smell good, too (the flowers, not the bees). And last of all, Nate's sunflowers are towering over all the rest of the garden. We discussed why they don't seem to be thriving; I suspect they need more water than he's giving them, but who knows? They sure are big, aren't they?

Nate's sunflowers

Anyway, that's the state of the community garden behind my apartment complex in the middle of August 2014. It's been a good year so far, and I'm looking forward to having some time planning next year's garden. Garlic and onions for sure, and kohlrabi, broccoli and lots of lettuce.
:-)

Skyline Divide 2014

Lupine and bistort flowers

Today was expected to be partly cloudy (it was) and cooler than what we have experienced recently, when nineteen of us (nineteen!) headed up to Skyline Divide in the Mt. Baker Wilderness. I just reviewed previous years' posts, and the most we've ever had on this hike before today was 16. The wilderness requires groups to be fewer than 12, so we broke into two groups, and I led the "faster" group up the trail while Al took the "slower" group. We had five new hikers that we had never met before, and they all joined Al's group.

Mt. Baker with her hat on

After climbing a bit more than two miles, you break out into this wonderful meadow with views all around, with trails dotting the area going every which-way. We decided we would hike over to the ridge and follow it for a couple more miles or so before stopping for lunch. We knew that Al's group would be coming up the same way, and that we would probably meet them at some point.

Walking carefully across a traverse

It was a truly lovely day, and all the hikers in my group were well known to me, so there weren't really any slowpokes or surprises. We decided we would hike until noon and then stop for lunch. That's just what we did. The views were incredible, as we knew they would be, and when we found our lunch spot, a light breeze on our sweaty bodies made it almost cold, but nobody put on any more clothes (except for Mikey, that is).

Carol, Chris, Peggy, Rita, Ward and Mikey

We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and then turned to begin our return trip. On the way back, we ran into the others that had hiked about three miles to join us. We, the other group, only went about a half-mile further. We pretended not to know them, since we were supposed to be separated, but frankly at this point nobody cared all that much. We were having too good a time to worry about a little thing like rules and regulations.

Jacqueline, Peggy, Carol (or are they wildlife?)

We decided maybe it was a good idea to break up into groups based on car passengers, so that each group could hike down at its own pace and we wouldn't look too suspicious. It worked out great, and nine of us (two cars out of five) were left to travel back the way we had come, and we were even legal!

Pink heather surrounded by white heather

Have I mentioned how amazing the flowers are right now? I saw this pink heather standing out amongst the gorgeous white heather, and I am thrilled to see that maybe you, my reader, can get just a glimpse of how beautiful it was on Skyline Divide today. By next week it will look different, but we all felt more than a bit grateful that we were there at this point in time.

Tightening our shoelaces

A trick that many of us know is to stop and re-tighten one's shoelaces before beginning the two-mile trek downward from the ridge. (It keeps your toes from running up against the end of your boot.) That's what we were doing in this picture before heading back to our cars. In a way, it was difficult to leave this beautiful place, but we knew that we had a long drive back home, and it was already long past midday. I know it's hard for some to realize it, but we are losing three minutes of daylight every single day at this latitude.

So off we went to our respective homes, and I have just finished my wine as I finish up this post, with around another seven miles and 2,500 feet under my belt, feeling quite satisfied and happy with another wonderful day spent in the wilderness with good weather and good friends.
:-)

Climbing Table Mountain

A mound of snow at Artist Point

Even though the weather has been really warm for us for a while now, this pile of snow is still in the process of melting out at Artist Point, at the end of the Mt. Baker Highway. That's Mt. Shuksan over to the left, and the sheen on the pavement is caused by the rivulets of water from the melting snow.

Four of us met yesterday afternoon to take a trip up to the top of Table Mountain, which begins right at the parking lot. It's not long and not hard, but there is a bit of exposure going to the top, which is why neither I nor Al had ever climbed it before. It's a mere three-mile round trip, so it's not  really an appropriate Thursday hike. Not to mention the exposure one experiences on the way up is not for everybody.

Shuksan from the trail

The sheer drop-off from a moderately wide trail, as you can see here, took my breath away once or twice. Now some people think that just because I jump out of perfectly good airplanes, I shouldn't have any fear of heights. Not so: I have an exquisitely well-attuned respect for edges and high places. Plus I didn't have my parachute with me!

Shuksan towering over the parking lot

We quickly climbed upwards. If you enlarge the picture, you can see our starting point, the Artist Point parking lot, right in the middle of the picture. And the snow that still graces our High Country is dotted here and there. In another month it will mostly be gone, but that is just before the snows will begin to fall again. Artist Point is usually open in early July and will close again in late September because of the snow.

Mt. Baker behind Mary, Bob, and Al

We had to cross several snow fields, but none of them were in the scary places. I was really surprised by how many trees there are on the way up to the broad expanse at the top. I thought it would be barren, but between babbling brooks from the snowmelt and tempting little shady grottos, it was very pleasant and quite lovely most of the way to the top.

Got anything to eat?

We wandered around the top of the mountain for awhile, and I saw these ravens who watched us carefully, wondering (I surmised) whether we would be leaving anything behind. This trail gets lots of traffic and is traversed by plenty of people whose leavings are probably quickly consumed by fellows like these.

Heather and rock

There was heather everywhere, and I managed to capture this picture to show how pretty it is right now. I enjoyed the day very much, and the four of us stopped at the Beer Shrine in Deming to quaff a beer and enjoy pizza at the end of the day. If you visit that link, you'll see why it's such a popular place to visit after a day playing in Washington State's beautiful wilderness.
:-)

Celebrating Lammas

Balloon man at the Farmers' Market

Yesterday and today are the season of Lammas, according to the Saxons, anyway. It's the time right between the first day of summer and the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. I know that's a bit disheartening if you are a true summer aficionado. I myself will be glad for a little less outdoor heat. The Pacific Northwest is right now about 8–10 degrees F warmer than normal for the date.

The Celts called it Lughnasad after the God Lugh. It is the wake of Lugh, the Sun-King, whose light begins to dwindle after the summer solstice. The Saxon holiday of Lammas celebrates the harvesting of the grain. The first sheaf of wheat is ceremonially reaped, threshed, milled and baked into a loaf. 

I snagged that information from this website, which is filled with interesting tidbits about the holiday. This morning I got up and headed out to join the Fairhaven walkers, my usual Saturday morning routine, and we sat around afterwards, drinking iced coffee and looking at the pictures of Terry and me on our skydive, while the ladies chimed in about whether they ever would or wouldn't do the same thing. Terry said she's glad she did it but wouldn't do it again. The freefall was just too overwhelming. It's funny, that was the part I couldn't wait to experience again, but that said, I was always a skydiver. There was just a time when I hadn't made a jump yet. (smile)

Then I went to the Farmers' Market to see all the people out enjoying the sunshine. I didn't really have anything to buy, but I wasn't quite ready to come inside. It is 3:00pm and 79 outside, heading for 82, according to the weather gods. When there's no breeze, that's a tad on the warm side for me. At least I wasn't climbing any mountains today, and going into air-conditioned stores kept me comfortable.

I've got to water the garden really well this evening, since I just sprinkled it this morning and everything is parched and needing some attention. My second batch of lettuce is doing great, and my beets are happily coming into existence. This is the second planting of them, too. The month of August should be the last of the intense heat around here, so I'm actually looking forward to September. I wonder why August is the hottest month, when the days are longer in July? I'll look it up online, but not right now. I've got a good book to bury myself in.

Which reminds me: I finished The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics. It's a historical story about the University of Washington rowing team that made it to the Olympics in Nazi Germany, winning against all odds. I simply couldn't put the book down once I got halfway through it. Daniel Brown, the author, is a really great writer. I'll happily read anything he writes. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

That's it for now, from my little corner of the universe during Lammas. Hope you're doing well and enjoying yourself, too!
:-)