Yesterday Luna and I and Guthrie and Guthrie’s person Marcy went for an afternoon hike at Blue Lake. From the valley it was easy to see that the first snow had fallen in the North Cascades so we knew we would see snow along the way. We drove through it at Washington Pass and the trailhead was covered with white stuff. The dogs were thrilled to see fresh snow! Luna has been lucky to find snow every month this year. The north-facing slope didn’t provide terrific lighting for the afternoon hike however the grandeur of the scenery lit up our senses and we quite enjoyed the short trek to and from Blue Lake. The views were full of graphic bold images and reflections that left me wondering what was real and what was reflected. Lots of images were made.
This is an avalanche chute full of debris along the trail
Guthrie relished the snow
These brown icicles dripped off of an old log
Blue skies, fiery larches and new snow!
This larch seems to be waving goodbye to fall or hello to winter
The outlet
Reflections everywhere
What’s real
The iconic viewpoint for Blue Lake. It looks much different in summer.
It is almost too much to take in with one image
With the fading light, the mountains and sky provide a bold graphic image in black and white
Guthrie – who could resist this guy?
Gray Jays stopped to see if we had any food to share
Otherwise known as Camp Robbers
Color?
Or black and white?
Reflections in black and white
Goodbye to fall and Blue Lake for another year
Luna in her birthday buff
Again, what’s real and what is reflected?
Down the trail in the late afternoon light
Two peas in a pod
This tiny pond is a delight
Reeds, all bent in the same direction
With frosted Christmas trees across the way
And still, Blue Gentian blooming. In the snow.