Our first 2011 summit

Here you see two of my favorite sights: Mt. Baker and new friend and hiker Diane on the summit of Excelsior Pass! We tried this hike in mid-June only to get part of the way up to this view, because of the SNOW. We have been turned back time and time again because of the snow becoming impassable, or because of weather. Today ten Senior Trailblazers forged our way to the pass, although we had to climb through around a mile or so on snow.

The first four miles of this hike from the Mt. Baker Highway is uphill but in the trees, shaded and very lush and green. We were climbing about a thousand feet of elevation for every mile, so we didn't go very fast. At somewhere around 4,800 feet we ran into snow most of the rest of the way to the pass. There were a few bare spots, but not too many. It's always a bit harder to walk in the snow, because it often seems you take one step forward and a half step backwards. And it was very sunny!

Once we reached the ridge, we had a spectacular view of Mt. Baker. It was simply stunning in its beauty, and although the temperature had reached the high 70s, the light breeze blowing across the snow helped to keep us cool. We even sat on the snow (with our cool little inflatable pillows) and chose the shade, since it was pretty intense in the sun. The summit is at 5,350 feet and we started at 1,800 feet, so this tells you that we climbed around 3,500 feet from the parking lot to this place.

The glacier lilies that you see in the foreground are only around for a few short weeks after the snow recedes. Although it is early August, we usually have a clear shot by this time of the year to our lunch spot. But not this year. As we chatted about the day, the view, and how glad we were to finally get above 5,000 feet elevation, we realized how fortunate we are to have each other, the place we live, and the chance to do it again and again for the rest of the season, before the snow flies once again. Now that the snow is beginning to recede, we are getting to have our own summer, just now beginning while the rest of the country has been suffering with the heat.

Once we finished our lunch (and yes, that is snow), we headed back down to the cars. It was a very long day, covering almost nine miles up and down during those 3,500 feet of climbing up and down. My back had no problem with the uphill hiking, although I did lean rather heavily on my trekking poles, but on the way back down, I realized that my sacroiliac joint was taking a pounding. Now that I am home, happy and content with a day well spent, I am realizing that a couple of ibuprofen will probably be necessary when I go to bed. Tomorrow I get a massage from my regular therapist, and I'll be incredibly happy to turn over this battered body to her ministrations tomorrow. Life is good.
:-)