Yes, I am behind on my personal photos. And it’s not like I’ve been making very many lately. Here are a few highlights from our annual visit to the Salish Sea.
Tag Archives: trail
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year here. So far. It reached 100 on the valley floor. Sheesh. Did I mention that we are completely without air conditioning for at least another couple of weeks? It’s enough to make a girl and her dogs crazy.
We drove up Boulder Creek to the Freezeout Pass trailhead and headed up the trail to 8242 foot Tiffany Mountain. It was 73 when we started. I was soon sweating on the steep trail through the burned forest. Many trees have blown over since last summer (sort of like the situation at my house) so there was quite a bit of clambering over and around the deadfall. Once we got out of the trees, it was the same steep, rocky ascent to the summit. Horned Larks were all around us. This is a place where they nest each summer. The snow has only recently melted up there but already it’s very dry and dusty most of the way along the trail. Wildflowers are just getting started. They could use a little bit of rain but none is in the long range forecast. At the top, the view was the best I’ve ever seen up there. Not a cloud in the sky and little haze either. I could see Mount Baker and Glacier Peak to the west and Moses Mountain to the east. And there wasn’t much wind either. On the way down, the wind picked up and I didn’t linger in the burned forest. The trees groaned and creaked and swayed in the wind.
We stopped at Boulder Creek to cool our feet on the way home. The dogs probably enjoyed that part more than the hike. I experimented with using my knee as tripod to get some pretty water images.
Back at home, it was 87, in the house.
In the burned forest
Prairie smoke
I don’t know this flower
Or this one
Looks like a short jaunt
Is it too bright for you Sky?
Looking over the Sinlahekin and Okanogan valleys.
Luna is always on the edge.
Ahhh.
The trail leads easily to the road. Or so it seems.
Paintbrush
Ahhh, the best
Sky.
Luna and I went to Big Valley this morning. It is one of the MVSTA winter ski trails where a person can take her dog and it is a great place for a contemplative walk the rest of the year. My computer has been under the weather recently so this post is from my phone. That is why it might seem klunky and abbreviated.
Luna
We will be skiing across this field in a few months
Bear marks?
Pine drops
Not too cold for swimming yet
Methow River
Puffball
Love this trail
Wasp nest
Old aspen
This is my busy season. I’ve had two weddings to photograph within one week so that means LOTS of computer time. It is important that I continue to get out and enjoy the beautiful place where I live for my overall fitness – both physically and mentally.
Last week Jennifer and her horse and two dogs joined Luna and me for a walk on the four mile long Black Lake trail. It follows Lake Creek on a gentle grade making for easy walking without huffing and puffing. This was a test for Luna to see if she could tolerate being around a horse. She has a long-standing fear of large ungulates stemming from an incident when she was less than a year old and managed to anger a large draft horse so much that the normally gentle animal turned and appeared to try to run Luna into the ground. Never mind that the horse was behind a fence and Luna was barking her fool head off. You can imagine how immense this draft horse was from her point of view. And those hooves! Luna turned and ran all the way back to the house where she waited under the porch til Betty and I went back for her. So now, along comes Jennifer and her horses and she suggests that we all go riding together. Luna is friends with Jennifer and her dogs so when they were all fine with the big animal Luna sort of fell into step with the rest of the group although she did not like it when the Whiskey, the horse fluttered her lips and made that funny horse noise and she was mostly sure to keep a good distance between herself and the horse.
For the life of me, I cannot find this flower in my field guides. I know I’ve looked it up before and figured out its ID but not this time
It is a vine with clematis-like flowers
Riding through the burned forest
My, what big eyes you have!
Lovely wildflowers in this burned forest
Since it is a burned forest, every year, more snags fall across the trail. Here, we were near the lake but were turned back by the deadfall.
Jennifer manages to keep the dogs’ attention with a good story or maybe the promise of treats
It burned in 2003
Paintbrush and lupine and Luna wondering why I have to stop to look at all the flowers!
The dogs found comfort in this old beaver pond. Unfortunately, Luna chose to get out in a mud hole, and emerged coated in mud up to her belly.
Jennifer got a good laugh out of that, especially knowing I’d have to take Luna down to the raging creek to wash her off before we could get in the truck.
Lake Creek
The last few days have been full of contrasts – brilliantly sunny skies paired with temperatures in the single digits, if not below zero. There has been no time for standing around enjoying the views. Walks are brisk; ski trips are purely aerobic. Little birds have swarmed the feeders while the Sharp-shinned Hawk keeps an eye out for the slow ones. The dark night skies are full of more stars than you can even imagine, however as cold as it is, it’s hard to do much star gazing.
One day a light wind filled in the trail with compacted snow.
There’s something about this line that I really like.
Hard to imagine how cold it is in this picture.
Those are the sledding trails from New Years!
I tried digi-scoping with my little camera on my scope. There’s a real knack to getting it right.
Long shadows on a sunny day
Pine needles stuck in the snow
Luna got a little hoar frost on her muzzle
Interesting ice form on the deck railing
My Everyday Photos 