Lake 22

Every now and then I have the opportunity to take someone onto a trail and help them gain a new experience and add to their self-confidence. A recent trip to Lake 22 gave me just this opportunity and a somewhat new hiker an experience that left her grinning at the end of the hike.

I warned my hikers on this trip that the last mile or so would be in snow, upwards to 8 feet in some places. But enough people hike this trail even in the snow that I thought it would be quite doable for my hikers. Little did I know, one hiker had no experience in snow. I advised trekking poles and traction devices like Yak-Traks or micro-spikes. I find the poles helpful in keeping my balance and the traction devices in keeping my self confidence. Sometimes I just need a little extra traction to feel comfortable on the snow and advised them for my hikers for this very reason.

As we reached the snow several hike members stopped to put on the traction. I and a few others opted out until we got further along. One hiker, Marie, didn't have traction devices and watched as her team mates prepped for the snow. Once ready, we started off again. The snow was hard-packed and I felt comfortable on it, but I noticed almost immediately Marie was falling behind. I stopped the group and we waited. But Marie continued to fall back and I began to get somewhat concerned. First for Marie, I didn't want her to get discouraged by her slow progress, but I also needed to keep my group moving so as to not get too cold.

I decided to get the rest of the group to the lake, settle them in and give them a few safety ground rules, then went back for Marie & my Tail-End-Charlie. Marie was indeed getting discouraged, but with encouraging words from myself & Jane, bringing up the rear, she plugged on. As we crested the last slope, I stopped Marie & told her to look up so she could see Mt Pilchuck towering through a break in the trees. Her face lit up!

We chatted a bit at lunch when she told me that this was the 2nd time she has ever hiked on the snow. I was so proud of her that she didn't give up and offered up my Yak-Traks since I wouldn't be needing them. She gladly accepted them. I then asked another of my hikers who had hiked with me often and is trusted to lead the group out as I brought up the rear behind Marie. We chatted & laughed until we ran out of snow. Her sense of accomplishment when we got back to the cars was priceless to me.

Daffodils

In April, the Skagit Valley is awash in color as tulips of every shape & color fill the perfectly tilled fields. But I was not here in April, I was here in March when the daffodils filled the valley with a yellow as vibrant as the sun. It was late in the day when my friends & I arrived as we headed to Mt Baker for a weekend of snowshoeing & photography. This side trip seemed like a perfect way to start off the weekend and take a break in our drive.

Late in the day, the sun angled nicely over the daffodil fields highlighting the rows of flowers. And yet in the background off towards the mountains storm clouds turned a dark grey in contrast.This is March in the northwest, bright afternoon light through cloud breaks we call sucker holes while the morning rain clouds push against the mountains dumping heavy spring snow on the slopes. This combination makes for a dramatic composition.

Squatting, I realized I couldn't quite get low enough to make the composition work as I had envisioned. I would have to lay in the mud. I am never opposed to lying down to get the image I see in my head, but now I had to look for an area with the least amount of gooey mud. Finally finding my spot, I angled the camera up to include the dark grey sky against the bright yellow flowers. The flowers seemed to be soaking in the last rays of sun for the day, happy that the storm had passed.