Heliotrope Ridge 08-16-2020

 It was a gorgeous sunny day - ended up being the hottest of the year - and Justus had the day off.  This hike has been on my list for years, but I had never made it up north to hike it.  Today was the day!  Bringing the adventure dogs meant getting an early start and planning on some slower hiking with breaks to avoid the heat and accommodate Cedar being older now.

We got to the trailhead about 9am and the parking lot was full, but there were not too many cars along the road yet.  The road was supposed to be pretty bad, but after the ones on the Mountain Loop Hwy, it was a piece of cake.  It was a pretty drive too, with some river views and lovely bridges.

A great thing about this hike, especially on such a warm day, is that there are quite a few water crossings.  This is also a detriment in some seasons, because at times they can be dangerous.  Even with the water level being pretty low and manageable, there were a couple I carried Cedar and Luna across.

Wildflowers were abundant - I didn't see a huge variety, but what was blooming there was a lot of - lupine,  red willow-herb, yellow daisy type flowers and a variety of others.  

The first part of the hike winds up through the trees, and as we gained elevation we noticed more alpine varieties and less of the large firs and spruces.

The first glimpse of some of the cracked towers of ice that make up the edge of the Coleman Glacier, gleaming glacier-blue against the cap of Mt Baker was stunning!  And it just got prettier from there on.  Once we rounded a large glacially-carved rock and got to the Ridge that runs along the glacier, the view was just spectacular.  The glacier itself was mesmerizing - pits, valleys, arches, chasms, and water-carved channels intricately woven across the expanse of living ice.  

We ate our lunch, got some nice video of Justus spinning his Devil sticks (we agreed to stay way from the cliff edge), and then reluctantly left our gorgeous vantage point.  

Apple Watch stats:  6.59 mi RT, 1774 ft of elevation gain.

This is definitely a hike I'll want to come back to.  I don't know if it is even possible to spend 'enough' time up on the ridge looking over that great glacier.  

Happy (and safe) hiking!

Dungeness Spit 08-04-2020

It was a beautiful day to hike out to the lighthouse on Dungeness Spit.  To take precautions for COVID, the trail going through the woods from the parking lot was one way - down to the beach on the "primitive trail" (it was a really nice trail, but meandered more), and up from the beach on the "main trail."  The trails meet for a little bit to go down the bank, and then on the beach there was ample space to maintain social distancing.

The waves weren't big, but meandering down the beach and back for hours hearing them was like a walking meditation.  It was so peaceful and beautiful.

I didn't see a ton of wildlife - a couple seals, I think a mother and baby, a pair of loons, some sandpipers and a lot of seagulls. Due to no dogs being allowed, the seagulls were pretty lax about people walking by and you could get pretty close.

There were some cool footprints on the beach - deer, coyote, and seagull.

I saw 3 of these little red starfish that had died and washed up.

Nature makes the coolest art!  Sculptures in the driftwood and sand...

The tide was going out and as the cool beach sand was exposed to the warming day, mist rose into the air.  It looked really cool.

The lighthouse itself was closed for tours, but the family staying there as lighthouse keepers for the week were super cool. Friendly and informative.  

Cascade Pass - Sahale Arm 08-02-2020

Knowing the views are phenomenal on this hike, I picked a nice sunny day for it.  I had tried to hike to the Sahale Arm Camp previously, but only made it to the final scramble before my legs were jello.  I was hoping to get all the way today, but even if I didn't, the whole hike is just so beautiful and worthy.

After hiking up 30+ switchbacks (I think it's 36, but I always lose count), I reached Cascade Pass.  

People there told me there were mountain goats up the hill there toward the toilet, so I went on up and found them!  It's super important to keep a safe distance, which I did.  I was told there were 3-4 goats, and saw them up a draw, where I got some photos and turned around to go back.  What I didn't know was there were more goats behind, and as I came around a tree one way, two moms with babies came the other way. We were about 6 ft apart, and I backed up quickly, as did she, so no close up pics of that encounter!  

The wildflowers and views were gorgeous - you just can't look in any direction, near or far, without being wowed here.

Looking out over Lake Doubtful is a nice place to turn around for people not wanting to get to Sahale Arm.

Marmots and pikas were out and about.  The pikas were too fast for my camera, but the marmots don't seem to mind posing a bit.

I took my time, some small breaks, and made it to the top!  I was so happy to have completed something that I failed to do before.  

Happy hiking!