Those Trailblazers

The Senior Trailblazers (click to enlarge)

Last Thursday when the Senior Trailblazers met to discuss where we would be going that day, Mike (also known as Mikey Poppins, since he often uses a full-sized umbrella on rainy days) gave me a memory stick (flash drive) with a couple dozen pictures on it. I had complained to him that he takes pictures of us quite often and we never get to see any of them. When we went up Heliotrope Ridge last July, he ran ahead and took lots and lots of pictures of the group. This picture is one of three similar ones he had on that drive.

And then in October when we hiked up Rainbow Ridge, Mike took a couple of pictures with his self-timer. That's him on the left, Mt. Baker in the background, and the rest of us smiling on a gorgeous sunny day. We hike rain or shine every Thursday, year round, but during the winter months we stay close to home and don't venture into the High Country, which is everybody's favorite place to go. However, we are planning to take some snowshoe trips this year, since snow is in the forecast. A fairly strong La Niña is occurring through the 2010-11 winter months, which usually brings more snow. Last year, as anybody who watched the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC knows, we were pretty free of snowpack. I'm ready, with virgin snowshoes waiting for an opportunity to be broken in.

This picture was taken last Thursday by Fred, with the Twin Sisters in the background. I like it especially because it shows me wearing (and using) my new batik scarf. I set the camera to use the fill-in flash option so that my face would not be in shadow, and it worked pretty well.

It's now been more than two years since I started these hikes, and they have not only added a high point to my week, but I've learned about so many wonderful places to hike around Bellingham. Not to mention that I've made some really good friendships, which as we all know, adds life to your years. In less than a month, I will turn 68, and I am one of the callow youth in this group, with Frank our oldest at 80, Dan not far behind at 77, and most of the group well into their seventies. This makes me look forward to the years ahead. Rather than bemoaning the approach of my eighth decade, I'm looking forward to it!
:-)