Maple Pass Loop 10-21-2018

I met up with a colleague I had not met before in person for this hike and was glad I did!  Despite my usual preference for solitude on the trail she was a joy and had done a lot of cool hikes and gone interesting places. 
We got there around 930am and all the parking spots in the lot were taken.  There was still room on the turn in road though, so we snagged one of those (on the way back I could see people parked up and down the highway!).  We hiked this counter clockwise, as I didn't want to hit those steep switchbacks right off the bat.  Last time I tried to do this one it was a hot day and I hadn't known that I was anemic and I just couldn't catch my breath.  Dave was with me for that round and I didn't make it more than a couple miles in.  This time, success!
We did the side trail to Lake Ann and there was a lot of ice on the little outlet stream and pools.  It was lovely though.  It was nice to look down on it as we hiked above it and see where we had been and how much elevation we had gained after we left its shore.

I saw a few pikas scurrying about squeaking, but didn't get any shots of them.  We enjoyed the beautiful scarlet blueberry leaves and even though the larches were past their prime there were still plenty of golden ones. 

The views from the pass are beautiful and I love how rugged the peaks are up here in the north. 

We were joined by a little chipmunk who was intent on grooming.  I thought he'd come up to see if we had any lunch to share, but the hikers here must be pretty good and the wildlife mostly kept its distance. 

On the way down we enjoyed views of Lake Ann to our left and wayyy, down below, Rainy Lake to our right. 

Then we switchbacked down through the meadows and the woods and over a stream to finish out our hike. 

My Apple Watch got us at 8 miles even, although I forgot to hit "resume" after a break, so probably lost a tenth of a mile or so there.  The elevation gain it had was about 2200 ft. 
What a very gorgeous day for a hike!  Blue skies and sunshine the whole time.  Everyone was out enjoying it though, which made for a very crowded trail.  Friendly happy people though!

On the way out toward Rockport we pulled over in the wildlife viewing area and got to see some bald eagles to top the day off.  Great day out!

Mt Dickerman 10-14-2018

The day was supposed to be clear, so I took advantage and hiked Mt Dickerman. I had never hiked it before, and knew it was going to be pushing it for me with the distance plus elevation gain.  It was SO WORTH IT!  The views were absolutely stunning and all the hikers at the top were just blown away with the awe of it all.  But I am getting ahead of myself.

The hike starts out switchbacking through the forest.

This time of year it was pretty nice to see a lot of different fungi springing up from the forest floor, and dead wood.

Mmmm, corals

After seemingly forever the trees thinned and opened up to more alpine trees, brilliant fall foliage and amazing views of the nearer peaks and ridges.

I was super happy to spot a couple mountain goats!

There was some ice on the way up - sprawling up through the trail and coating the tops of slow-moving pools.

Once at the top, after pushing my aching legs all the way, I was almost brought to tears by the stunning views in every direction.  I could see Baker, Glacier, Shuksan, even Rainier, along with all the less white crags rising around me.  I could even see some part of the Puget Sound, although I couldn't tell what part of the water I was looking at.

I really took my time up there and soaked in that beauty as I ate my lunch before heading down.
On the way down I saw this strange gray creature heading into the trees ; )

Also a Clark's Nutcracker I think...

Boy I thought those switchbacks were challenging on the way up?  The way down felt like it was never-ending! Haha.  I did spot this cute little garter snake though, with his orange and yellow like he was dressed for autumn.

Happy hiking!

Lake Serene 09-15-2018

I was lamenting the weekend's forecast for rain, and a friend of mine said, "Tina, you live in the northwest - get your rain gear on and hike anyway!"  I don't mind a shower, just don't love a downpour out there, so I hoped for the best today and headed out with my adventure dogs to Lake Serene.

On the way through Sultan I saw a coyote trotting down the railroad tracks.  Last time I saw a coyote on the way to the trail head, it was one of the best hikes ever, so I took this as a good portent.

I got out to the trailhead before 8:30am and there were plenty of parking spaces left.  The trees were dripping, but the sky wasn't, and mist was rising here and there amongst the hills, so it was really a beautiful northwest fall day.  The first mile and a half or so of this hike, while climbing slightly, is flat compared to the rest.  This hike was closed all summer due to logging in the area - you could see where they had been from the trail.

We skipped the stairs to the waterfall viewing area and headed straight for the lake.  The mossy trees were so green and beautiful.

Although we skipped the waterfall overview, there is still a lower view of the falls that we enjoyed.  Also there were other falls further up the trail.

I had forgotten how many stairs were on this trail! And boulders and stone steps!  Up, up, up!  Cedar and Luna sprung up them like they were both puppies on springs.  Lucky things with four legs instead of two.

Once we cleared the stair stepper switchbacks through the trees, we could enjoy misty views of the peaks surrounding us, as well as the fall colors of the devils club and vine maple leaves.

The lake was a lovely turquoise color and we enjoyed watching the rain start to come down again and dimple the surface as we ate our lunch.

On the way back down, at the base of the falls again, I met a couple people with two dogs and the husky really seemed especially curious and pretty and soft.  She sat between two trees as we walked up and looked like some dog out of a story book.  She reminded me of a white husky I had met on this trail 7 yrs ago who stepped out of the mist at a switchback looking like a white wolf, but also very sweet.  I chatted for a moment and then went on.  They later passed me, and when they did the man seemed familiar too.  I didn't think I would catch up, but they stopped to talk to a ranger and I did catch up then and asked the man if he had a white husky on that trail back in 2011 - he had given me advice for my attempt at climbing Mount Rainier.  He said, "That was Misty!"  It WAS him.  Such a small world.  We talked about hiking for a bit, and then we all went our separate ways.  I don't know what it is about his dogs, but they are enchanting.
The ranger said I was the 105th person she had counted that day, and it was only about 1pm.