Lizard, Lily, and North Butte

Mel and a couple of our destinations

Fifteen Senior Trailblazers showed up on a very sunny and delightful day to head up the Upper Trailhead on Blanchard Mountain to Lizard and Lily lake via the North Butte trail. Once we get to this sign, if we head to Lizard lake, we can then take the North Butte trail and afterwards make our way over to Lily. So we bagged them all in a loop hike.

Our sun-dappled trail

Nobody seemed to mind the lack of rain (ha!). We had a few high clouds at times, but mostly it was a day with a perfect temperature around 17°C (65°F) with a light breeze or completely calm.

Calm Lizard lake

First we went to Lizard lake, which has a beaver dam and plenty of signs of beaver activity. I tried to get a picture of their dam, but it didn't turn out very well, so you'll just have to see what we saw today: no breeze, with a bald eagle that was on the other side of the lake. I couldn't capture him at all. He was there, though, I promise.

Mt. Baker just barely visible

There are two viewing spots when one makes the journey up the North Butte trail. This one gives you a lovely view of Mt. Baker, but when I took this I was very close to the edge of a steep drop-off, leaning out to get this much of a view, so the trees in the foreground couldn't be avoided. You can see the dark cloud overhead, which dissipated by the time we climbed up to the actual rocky butte.

What a butte!

Here we are at our lunch destination, with a magnificent view looking out over Samish Bay, enjoying a relaxed half hour in the sunshine. There were others who aren't in the picture, but most of the Trailblazers are visible here. Steve was with us for the first time in awhile; it was so nice to see an old friend on the trail again.

Lily pads in Lily lake

Then we went down the trail to Lily lake, where I tried to capture a few new lily pads and a reflection in the lake, showing how sunny and calm our day was. I've been here when it was windy and cold, but that wasn't today; it was just about perfect, as I've said already.

Two trillium

And today we saw so many trillium, all in bloom and smiling at the sun, it was simply delightful. I suspect we saw a millium trillium. Then it was time to return to the cars via Max's Shortcut (which never seems all that short) and a total distance of just under nine miles and around 1,900 feet elevation up and down.

Now that my glass of wine is half consumed, and I've got my feet in my comfy slippers, I reflect that this was one of the finest Blanchard Mountain excursions I've experienced in a long time. A little bit of all the best parts of living in the Pacific Northwest.
:-)

Finally ready to plant

My plot with the heather in front

I finally got all the weeds and stuff out of my little plot, with only the heather, raspberry plants, and strawberry patch remaining. Now all I have to do is decide exactly what else is going into my spot so I can get it going.

On the right you can see that Rob has been working hard on getting his plot planted, and we have a few others who have finished preparing theirs, too. I was so pleased when I went out there a few minutes ago to get a few pictures and saw that my strawberry patch is beginning to get blossoms!

Little blossoms will soon turn into berries

We are all a bit late in getting going, but that's because of all the rain and cool weather we've been having. We are now experiencing sunny skies and warming weather! Yay!
:-)

A soaker of a Saturday

Beautiful pink and wet flowers

This morning fifteen ladies walked around five miles or so in, you guessed it, rain. After an entire week of wonderful sunshine, we returned to our usual springtime condition. And of course it was just as the weekend began, with rain forecasted right up to Monday. We set a temperature record here on Thursday, and then yesterday it began to cool down, and today is giving us a fair amount of rain.

Last week after the visit to the retina specialist, I had gone to the optical shop and bought myself a pair of fancy sunglasses and some over-the-glasses type sunglasses that I knew I would wear, instead of the rather geeky ones I received from the cataract surgeon's office. I also bought myself a couple of cool wide-brimmed hats. I must say that my eyes were a whole lot less tired after being in the strong sunlight using these techniques. Hopefully I'll be able to slow down the inexorable progression of the AMD.

In any event, it was sure nice to leave all the sunscreen, sun hats, and sunglasses behind as I joined the ladies this morning. I did need a rain hat and raincoat, but I know how to do that without any effort.
:-)

Maple Grove 2018

Our trailhead today

I was not surprised when seventeen Senior Trailblazers showed up for our hike today, which was rated "easy" and the weather was forecast to be sublime. Which it was: cool and sunny to start, then warming up as we walked up and down some mild slopes for a little more than eight miles. The drive was long, around sixty miles southeast of Bellingham, but it was worth it.

Crossing Anderson Creek

There were plenty of bubbling stream crossings: this was the biggest and most exciting of them. The bridge has a nice flat log to use for crossing, with side rails on both sides, so it was easy, after all.

Beautiful open trillium

We saw lots of beautiful blooming trilliums along the trail. I was so pleased to see them, one of my favorite flowers of the season. Lately most of the ones I've seen have been waterlogged, but not today. Glorious!

Our hiking group today (plus me)

I was able to herd the group together for a photo while we stopped for a quick snack on our way to Maple Grove. You can probably tell from the lack of jackets (mostly) and addition of sun hats, that it was a beautiful day.

Mt. Baker and reflection in Baker Lake

We saw Mt. Baker for much of the hike, but as we got close to the lake, the mountain loomed up in all its magnificence, with a day that gave us a chance to capture some dramatic pictures.

Baker Lake and our lunch spot

You can see that the lake level was very low, with all those rocks and roots in the foreground usually covered by water. We speculated that they have opened the dam to lower the lake's level so that all the expected snowmelt will have a place to go. In any event, it gave us a lovely place to sit and enjoy an hour-long lunch break.

Today's trail in sun and shadow

Then we headed back the way we had come, enjoying the four-mile return trip as much as our trip out. The weather, as I said, was perfect, and one more thing: there were no bugs! No mosquitoes, gnats, or flies. We could have stayed even longer if we wished. What a day! Thanks to all who came along and joined us for a lovely Senior Trailblazers excursion.
:-)

Retina Specialist visit

Me in my dark glasses

Lily took this picture of me when we went to the see the tulips last week. I like it very much, and I also noticed that my glasses had turned very dark. They are transition lenses, and they turn dark or light without my thinking about it. That link will tell you about the pros and cons of lenses that change, depending on the situation.

Today, I learned that they will be sufficient for most times that I'm outside, but I really should NOT go outdoors without dark glasses in full sunlight. We are just now beginning our bright sunlight days here in the Pacific Northwest, and I'll need to be more proactive about protecting my eyes from UV light.

The retina specialist examined my eyes closely and compared the pictures with those from six months ago. There is definitely progression in my AMD (age-related macular degeneration). That is not exactly news, but if I want to continue to protect my eyes, I've got to start wearing wide brimmed-hats as well as dark glasses whenever I'm in sunlight. He said that all UV light will cause damage to my poor eyes. I definitely don't want to lose any more vision, but unfortunately I will. Anything I can do to slow it down is essential. This is what happens with AMD:

Although macular degeneration reduces vision in the central part of the retina, it usually does not affect the peripheral vision. For example, you may be able to see the outline of a clock but not be able to tell what time it is. AMD does not cause total blindness.

Well, that's just peachy. (That information was in a handout that the doctor gave me today.) I get a little bit emotional whenever I visit the specialist, because I am reminded once again that my vision may or may not last me for the rest of my life. But then again, I can see well enough right now and will do everything I can to keep the damage to a minimum.
:-{

Week ahead looks good

Tulips!

Yesterday Lily and I went to RoozenGaarde for the April Tulip Festival. It was one of the first days that the tulip gardens weren't waterlogged after the rain we've been having, pretty much constantly for the first part of April.

Lovely purple field of tulips

Behind the display gardens are acres and acres of beautiful tulips, enough for anyone to get an eyeful of color. We spent a couple of hours there, and I took enough pictures to chronicle the displays for this year, but it is nothing compared to the enormous number of pictures Lily took (it was her first time). And Linda Reeder? If you really want a great tour, take a look at her pictures here. She always takes lots of pictures, so I don't have to.

This morning we ladies met at Lake Padden for our usual two trips around the lake. Lily had to work today, so she wasn't there, unfortunately. I managed to twist my ankle and took a fall at the beginning of the second lap, and now I'm sitting here with a throbbing ankle. It still works, other than a twinge when I first stand on it, so I think it should be fine in a day or two. I did go twice around, thinking that moving it would be a good idea. It isn't swollen, so I should be able to work in the garden with no problem. It would be a real shame if I were to wait this long for the weather to improve and then get banged up, unable to dig in the dirt.

The best part of all this rain is that the weeds should come up without much tugging. I'm anxious to get started!
:-)

Mt. Erie and Sugarloaf 2018

Anacortes Community Forest Lands

Thirteen Senior Trailblazers drove the forty miles from Bellingham to Heart Lake, located in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands, to trek up both Sugarloaf and Mt. Erie. We do this hike once a year, and it had been rescheduled several times because of rain. Today was simply gorgeous, full sunshine and cool temperatures (58°F for a high), making it a wonderful day. We did our usual route, hiking from the trailhead at Heart Lake to Sugarloaf, before going on to Mt. Erie.

The view from Sugarloaf

Because of the recent precipitation, clouds began to form as the land heated up, but it didn't spoil the view, only adding another dimension to the photographs, making them a bit more interesting.

LouAnn and Paul

I saw the sun behind the heads of these hikers, giving them an angelic look. They are fun people, which you can probably tell from their expressions. Everybody was in a good mood as we made our way around the ACFL today.

View from the top of Mt. Erie

There were too many clouds to see Mt. Rainier in the distance here, but we've seen it before; it's spectacular even without the mountain. Mt. Erie has an interesting history, which you can read about here. From that link:

At 1,273 feet (388 meters) tall, Mount Erie is the highest point on Fidalgo Island. Mount Baker, which lies about 43 miles to the northeast, can easily be seen from Mount Erie. On a clear day, Mount Rainier can be seen in the southeast, approximately 117 miles distant.

Our lunch spot gazing out at the view

 We went back down a different trail, making a loop hike instead of traveling back the way we had come. And as I was hiking along the trail, looking down, I saw a calypso orchid, which was in full bloom. I ended up taking a bit of time trying to get it in focus, but I finally did.

Calypso orchid

It's also known as a fairy slipper, and although we saw one last week, I was unable to capture a picture in focus. This time I took plenty of pictures, determined to succeed. The orchid is very fragile and doesn't live long; you can read all about it here. So lovely!

We finally returned to the cars, and I was pretty tired after having hiked eight miles and 2,200 feet up and down. The really good thing for me is that my knees behaved. It was a couple of years ago when I tore a meniscus in one of my knees on this very hike, but today they both felt the effort but were just fine. All in all, I am happy to be home but so very glad I was able to play in the sunshine with my friends.
:-)