With all of the lovely sunny weather we've been privy to this spring in the pacific northwest, I'm pining for upcoming summer outings and hikes. And I'll be the first to admit it--I need an excuse to decompress. It doesn't come very naturally to me. For that reason, typically a bit of effort and planning is required on my part to schedule some downtime and ultimately make room for a more creative and non-stressful head space. In my life, hiking bestows this most precious reward, and I try not to take it for granted one bit. Last summer I had the privilege of hiking up towards Heliotrope Ridge near Mt. Baker, and I was stunned by the beauty of it. The photos shown below offer a glimpse of the magic of this trail. In fact, I would say this hike makes my top 10 all time favorite hikes, which I've listed below in no particular order...
- Heliotrope Ridge near Mt. Baker.
- Raptor Ridge in the Chuckanuts.
- The south rim of the Grand Canyon down to the Colorado River.
- Sauk Mountain near Burlington.
- Park Butte near Mt. Baker.
- Mt. Untersberg in Austria, because The Sound of Music.
- Mt. Si near Seattle.
- Second Beach Trail on the Olympic Peninsula, not necessarily because of the hike itself but because of the amazing beach at the end.
- Avalanche Lake trail in Glacier National Park.
- Sleeping Bear Dunes (pick any hike).
View of Mt Baker from heliotrope ridge hike.
My trusty co-hiker @milampix
Other hikers (not us) descending Mt Baker.
Part of the glacier comes into view.
Left: Sasha the poodle photo bombs Eric's portrait. Right: Joey winces at the camera from the pack.
I always forget Joey despises the camera. The camera does not give belly rubs.
Erin on the left and her inimitable poodle Sasha on the right.
Lunch break spot.
Forever curious.
So. Many. Wildflowers.
Looking north from heliotrope ridge.
