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Tag Archives: North Cascades

North Cascades Hike

Yesterday the girls and I joined with Molly (remember Molly from last year?) and Mary for a nice hike, mostly above tree line in the North Cascades. We drove through a layer of wildfire smoke to get to the trailhead and found perfect blue skies with fluffy clouds. Ground squirrels and hoary marmots and pikas gave their warning calls as we walked by.  At the end of the hike we could see the smoke column from the Diamond Creek wildfire east of us. In the meantime we were treated to vast vistas of mountains in all directions. We all felt grateful to have this in our ‘backyard’. The dogs were most grateful for the last of the snow and a creek of snow melt leading to a clear refreshing pond for cooling off.

A few wildflowers still blooming
a pika haystack
Views and more views
Cool rocks
Sky tells Molly to stand still
Do it this way Molly
Molly remains defiant
Look! All five of us looking at the camera! Ok. So Luna wasn’t exactly looking at the camera, but almost.
Molly leads the way
We were over there!
Tatie Peak
Wildfire smoke to the left of center on the horizon

Dusty Shoes

The girls and I have been out and about on some trails this summer. After a wet and cool spring, we have not had any rain in weeks. The paths are all dusty and dry. I carry water for my dogs and they appreciate it. The streams and lakes and snow patches are welcome sights!

Mine.
I dropped my stick.
Will you get it for me?
Luna, why don’t you care about my stick?
Ahhhh.

Mountains and Wildflowers

The girls and I have not been getting out enough lately. Both of them are still in bed, not even asking to go outside or have breakfast. That is nearly unheard of around here. We had a lovely outing to Slate Peak yesterday but I didn’t think it was overly strenuous. Must have been all that fresh mountain air and the cold streams.

I was told that the road to Harts Pass was open although not all the way to the trailhead near Meadows or to the lookout parking lot. Sure enough, that was the case. Several cars were parked at the last PCT trailhead with lots of hikers and walkers heading north on the well-worn path. Luna and Sky and I simply walked over the snowbanks and up the road to the lookout. It’s only a mile and a half walk and we had it all to ourselves. The flowers were amazing and the mountain views were beyond beautiful. Later we walked near Meadows and saw more wildflowers and clear mountain streams.

It was a nice day.

Looking north to Canada
Silky phacelia, one of my favorite wildflowers
Buckwheat, phacelia and mountains
I don’t know the name of this DYC (darned yellow composite)
Lomatium
Glacier lily
Forget-me-nots
Anemone
Shooting stars
Anemone and buttercups
Buttercups
A field of anemone!
Phlox and lichen
A cooling stream

Winter is Coming

Yesterday before any election tallies were out, we went to the mountains to play in the snow. Ken was getting ready for a long trip and it seemed like a good time to have some fun and maybe get a holiday card photo too.

At Washington Pass there was at least a foot of snow and some groomed ski tracks too! We hadn’t thought to bring skis. Darn! The dogs were ecstatic to play on a snowy surface again. The mountains were fogged in when we arrived but gradually they emerged giving us breathtaking views of the craggy peaks. It was worth the wait.

As we returned to the car we saw families with small and big kids, some who had NEVER played in snow before! That was fun! They didn’t all have appropriate footwear but it didn’t stop them from enjoying themselves.

Luna’s expression!
Sometimes we just need someone to lean on.
This makes me laugh.
What is the name of this mountain?
They love to play rough in the snow.
Liberty Bell
What is the name of this mountain?
I’ll get it!
We are lucky to live here.

Blue Lake Fall Colors

It was a hair-brained idea given the fact that my to-do list is a mile long. However this might be the last day like this in 2016. The weather forecast shows lots of rain and wind for the next four days. Snow in the mountains too. So the girls and I threw together a little bit of stuff and headed to Blue Lake. Our dog friend Wyatt Ann is staying with us and she’s not in such good shape but she was a real trooper, having great fun on the trail.

Blue Lake is close enough that a person can get to the trailhead and do the hike and get home and only use up half a day. Unless she lollygags. And this time, I did not. That to-do list was waiting at home.

Ice on the creek.
Ice dripping out of a log.
First view of the golden larches
Here comes Sky
Here comes Luna
Across the highway to the north
Snow on log
Frozen creek
Ice crystals coming out of the ground
Underwater and ice
Here comes Wyatt Ann
I like hiking!
They are thinking about someone’s lunch
Frozen bubbles
Too many shadows for a good image
Wow!
The back of Liberty Bell
Sky jumped into this ice covered pond near the end of the trail.
She had to break the ice to swim and when she got out she was cold.