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Tag Archives: hike

Tiffany Mountain Wildflowers

We were at Tiffany for the peak of the fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) bloom! This tall lavender-pink perennial often comes in after a fire. The Tripod fire burned there nearly ten years ago and the fireweed is still very abundant. I was surprised to learn that its pollen turns blue as the flowers mature. The dogs were spotted with the fine powdery blue pollen. Lots of the wildflowers had mostly finished blooming but we did find some colorful blooms to entertain us along the way.

Agoseris
Buckwheat
Paintbrush
I wonder how many species are in this image?
Aster
Blue pollen

Tiffany Mountain in July

It seems to be a tradition for me to hike to Tiffany Mountain in July. Earlier this year would have been better for the wildflowers and possible patches of snow but this was the soonest I could get up there. Yesterday MA and I and our pack of dogs made the short steep hike. It was a cool day, thankfully. There is nearly no water along the trail so we had to carry our own water and water for four dogs. We did notice early on the hike that three of them went off trail and came back with muddy feet. On the way down we found the well-used mud hole where they’d managed to wet their whistles and cool their toes.

There were quite a few wildflowers and I will put most of those images in another post. The fireweed was outstanding! Heading up the trail MA noticed that Sky had bits of blue powder, like eye shadow on her face. We determined that it must be some sort of pollen and eventually I found it on the fireweed. It looked like the older the blossoms, the more chance that the pollen was blue. It started out orange on the fresher flowers.

Sky found a stick that she was particularly fond of and Quincy soon decided he had to do everything in his power to get it away from her. He’d grab onto to one end and Sky would just stand there and hold her ground while he jerked one way and then another. After a bit, Sky would take off running and he’d lose his grip and take off as fast as he could to catch her. She’d slow down and then he’d grab on again. They had great fun. At one point, Quincy tumbled repeatedly head over heels!

All the dogs were pooped when we returned to the car and three of them had to share the back seat. It was a pile of pooches!

Here is a post from exactly three years ago about the same hike!

That last steep part
Sometimes they were sprawled flat on the ground
Nice views without any smoke columns!
You try to photograph four dogs
Sky photo bomb
Quincy
Trying to photograph that dainty white flower growing out of the rock
Frida
Luna
Stick game
Running with stick
Break time
Quincy with red flowers
It’s easier when they are tired.
Resting in the shade
Dogs and fireweed
Sky with blue fireweed pollen
Roger Lake. I photographed it before the Tripod fire, many years ago. I should find that slide and re-print it.

Happy New Years 2015!

It was cold and clear for the New Years Eve Celebration and holiday. Single digit cold temperatures. We didn’t let that stop us from celebrating the end of 2014 and the start of the new year. We had a party with a few good friends and a great bonfire and some sledding too. The next day there was a nice hike in the hills with friends and dogs after visiting with Mary Ann’s donkeys. At night we had the moon and stars and during the day, bluebird skies. I don’t think we ever complained too much about the cold.

New Years Eve morning.
She thinks maybe I should not be standing around in the cold watching birds
Gathering fuel for the fire from one of our burned trees
Our Phoenix bonfire
It was so cold that beers turned into slushies.
Carl tried the sledding hill, more than once
Sky thinks it’s a great game
Bill loved the sledding and did it over and over again
Ken heads down the hill.
Carl did some snow boarding too.
Moon at dusk.
It started with one match
The Phoenix Bonfire!
Laura leaned in to get a better look.
New Years Day.
One of MA’s donkeys.
Pretty girl.
It was a good packed trail for walking.
We met other dogs on the trail and here Trip is telling this one that he is in charge
Sky says, I got a ball; do you want to play?
Bree has a ball too!
Frida knows how to pose
Photo bomb with a ball
Throw the ball.
Luna loves MA
Luna can pose too
What a day!
What’s up Trip?
Frida poses for MA

Early Winter in the North Cascades

Last week the dogs and I managed one last trip to the mountains before the deep freeze settled in. I’d intended to just walk in the hills as usual but after many days of wet dreary weather I awoke to a glorious bluebird day with snow-capped mountains on the horizon and I could not resist one last chance to be up there before winter really arrives.

I knew it would be cold and we’d be walking on snow and ice-covered surfaces and in the shade much of the time so picking out clothes after the long warm (for November) spell was challenging. It was 29 degrees Fahrenheit at the Blue Lake trailhead – the coldest temperature I’ve seen in months. Brrrr. I must have picked out the right combination of layers because I kept comfortably warm moving briskly on the trail and only stopping in sunny spots.

The log footbridge at the lake’s outlet was snow-covered and I didn’t have the nerve to try crossing it. Heck, that thing scares me in summer. The dogs happily ran back and forth while I dithered about it. The sun had barely crept across the mountain ridge behind the lake leaving the lake mostly in the shade. We enjoyed the sunshine and met two other hikers with a pretty dog before heading down the trail and saying goodbye to the mountains for now.

It’s always worth stopping for this view of Liberty Bell.
Ice-covered ponds everywhere.
Frozen mushrooms
Snow on wild strawberries
At the outlet to Blue Lake
Sky’s new friend is half golden retriever and half Aussie. Very pretty young fellow.
I wasn’t going to throw sticks for Sky due to all the logs and the ice on the lake but the other folks were doing it so she joined their fun.
He didn’t balance on the logs as easily as Sky
Brrrr!
And then she was cold when she sat down.
What’s on her mind?
A rivulet through the ice on the trail
Reflection in a puddle full of fir needles
Reflection in a puddle full of fir needles
ice

Bear Creek Walk

The girls (dogs) and I walked along Bear Creek earlier this week. It was the one weekday without rain in the forecast and I’m glad we took advantage of it. They were right – we’ve had rain four of five days this week. Of course, we need it and it does help me get inside tasks done but really, folks around here are unaccustomed to gray drippy weather. And it has brought much needed snow to the mountains.

This particular area of Bear Creek burned in the Cougar Flats fire in July – part of the infamous Carlton Complex, the biggest wildfire in Washington’s history. I remember at that time saying to a friend of mine “all of our favorite spring and fall walking areas are on fire”.

I was happy to find that the landscape around the trail suffered mostly a ground fire and most of the trees look like they will live! The fire stimulated new growth in plants that would have been dormant in the mid-summer heat and I saw sunflowers, yarrow and a tiny vetch in bloom. It’s nice to see their color at this time of year. And the trees are providing lots of color as well. The deciduous trees are all shades of orange, yellow and green and the pines that are partially burned are even pretty with their dark orange needles.

Ken and I walked this trail on New Years. You can photos from that day here. Sky was still a puppy then.

This area will be beautiful in the spring.

Dalmation Toadflax – and invasive, non-native weed.
Sky scampers across Bear Creek
A tiny puffball mushroom
New growth – maybe a willow?
Burned out tree root hole
I think this is a tiny buckwheat
Douglas Sunflower
Tiny vetch
Yarrow
Innovative foot bridge
Perhaps part of an old foundation
Luna looks good in yellow
Pitch
This tree bled pitch before the fire and it’s still doing it.
Beaver Creek