Here we go again ~

Saturday, September 21, 2002 was yet another gorgeous day in Washington State. It didn't take us long to decide where to go - back to Heather Meadows. There are so many roads and trails we haven't seen in that area, and it's not often that such a perfect day appears on the weekend. I suppose I had a forlorn hope that the autumn colors might have burst out in a week, but that was not to be.

By ten thirty we were parked at Artist Point, ready to hike the Chain Lakes Trail for a short way. We had been told that hiking the entire trail (6.5 miles) not only required strong legs and good endurance, but also entailed another mile or two UPHILL in order to retrieve the car. We elected to hike as far as the split in the trail, out towards Ptarmigan Ridge.


The red dots show our route

Again and again, we were treated to spectacular views of both Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. I have tried to restrain myself in the number of photos I have put online. Tim thought we were about six miles away from each mountain, at the closest point. The path was quite rocky in places, and carved its way along a steep mountainside, however the elevation rise and fall was gentle, and it was a lovely hike.

After lunch, we headed towards Nooksack Ridge, and found a couple of very narrow roads leading into the valley behind the ridge. We followed each as far as it went, and although the view were not as spectacular, it was an awesome feeling to be dwarfed on either side by the mountains rising straight out of the ground.

We still hope, weather permitting, to return to Heather Meadows during the next couple of weeks to catch the autumn colors, and there are still many small roads waiting to be explored in the area. We'll be back!

Picture Lake - Again
The Novice Hiker - Ready!
Mount Baker
Down In The Valley
Yup - That's A Mountain!
Baker Again
Tim Tackles The Trail
Whatta View!
Mount Shuksan
Mount Baker
Tim Shooting His Panorama
Striking An Alpine Pose
Baker Peak
Tim Strikes An Alpine Pose
A Raven Maniac, In The Parking Lot
Cairn
Ang and Mount Shuksan
<ount Shuksan
This path was so narrow it was scary!
Another lovely road through the mountains
View From The Valley
Acme General Store - Beep Beep
There's No Place Like Dome
 

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