Join Thor , Bear dog, and me as we heed the call of the wild to the Mt. Baker Wilderness.
NOTE: For more virtual getaways you may enjoy this summer, I’ll be weaving in some outdoor excursions between our virtual-vacation series from our Thailand trip. Next week we’ll take you back to Bangkok!
It had been a long time without mountain hikes for us: For me, a misdiagnosed hip-tendon tear two and a half years ago (could it have been that snowshoeing mishap when I slid into a tree well?), a failed surgery, injections, rounds of physical therapy, and So Many cautions to go slow and avoid repeated injury. For Thor, permanent nerve damage in his right calf requiring a prosthetic device. The joys of aging! But we had a partly-sunny day between rains this week, and as we gazed longingly toward the snow-capped peak of Mt. Baker an hour away, we declared, “It’s time!” We would work with what we’ve got. For a starter hike, we picked the easy lower portion of Hannegan Peak Trail, relatively snow-free in early summer and featuring a gradual ascent.
The gravel road off the Mt. Baker Highway starts with a peek-a-boo view across Hannegan Creek toward Mt. Shuksan (above). Just as we reached the usual parking area for the trail, we encountered a big washout where the road used to be:
Every winter, mountain terrains get rearranged, so we followed a short detour trail and headed on up. Early summer here bursts with vitality and green green green!
As we hiked, we could feel the healing peace of the wilderness filling us. No traffic noise! No news! No computers! As wonderful as the big views and fresh air, the new leaves and wildflowers beckon. Thor remarked that he’d never seen such dense patches of Bleeding-Heart with its lovely purple blooms. They were one of my Grandma Sara’s favorite flowers, so I’m always happy to greet them.
Higher along the trail, the views start to open up. There’s a lot of snowmelt running off the heights.
“I’m alive!”
Upper Hannegan Creek flows down the narrow ravine that the trail clings to. Glaciers did a lot of scouring in these mountains.
As the sun rose, peeking in and out of clouds, more snowmelt swelled the runoff streams that required wading or rock-hopping as they worked on gouging out the trail. Mother Nature rules here, as She should.
We chose a spot with a view of the opposite ridge for our lunch break. The only sound was the muted roar of waterfalls across the way.
We decided to head back before the trail got more rugged, so we could assess our conditions the next day. On the way down, we enjoyed more of the lovely foliage and blooms. Yes, wild violets are actually yellow:
Bear dog leads the way through the big trees.
And a last ritual that must be performed to complete our “forest bathing”: a brisk, brief dip in the rushing creek. My whole body flushed and tingling with the touch of mountain waters, I call out once more with gratitude: “I’m alive!”
*****
You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Café is available in print and ebook: The Ariadne Connection. It’s a near-future thriller set in the Greek islands. “Technology triggers a deadly new plague. Can a healer find the cure?” The novel has received the Chanticleer Global Thriller Grand Prize and the Cygnus Award for Speculative Fiction. Sara has recently returned from another research trip in Greece and is back at work on the sequel, The Ariadne Disconnect. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
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