Chuckanut Ridge

Today 13 hardy Senior Trailblazers set out for a long hike in the wind and rain up the Interurban Trail to Chuckanut Ridge. When we started, as you can see all of us (except for Mikey Poppins with the umbrella and shorts) were bundled up with rain ponchos and raincoats. It was not terribly cold, but the wind was blowing hard, which made it seem colder.

The trail begins on an old logging road, but we eventually headed off onto a leaf-strewn and sometimes muddy trail that winds UP and DOWN with little level ground. Although we usually have a view, today this is what we saw most of the day:

When we stopped for lunch, we saw snow at the overlook, and my fellow Trailblazers insisted I take a picture to prove to those of you on the East Coast that we too sometimes have weather. Everyone knows it always rains in the Pacific Northwest, except lately. We had the warmest January on record, and although February and now March have been pretty warm, we do have rain and snow, too!

See? Snow, if not lots of it, believe me it was not warm. My thermometer said 35 degrees at noon while we had lunch. Don't be fooled by Mikey's lack of warm gear; he says if he keeps his hands and head warm, it's all he needs. (But he does carry a pack with all kinds of gear, just in case.)

On the way back down, I saw a chance for a bit of an artsy shot, and although it's not as wonderful in reality as it was in my head, I continue to be so happy to share my Thursdays, rain or shine, with my fantastic fellow hikers. We covered more than ten miles today, with an altitude gain (and loss) of over 3,000 feet (like I said, very little of the trail was level). The group today ranges in age from 62 (Fred) to 79 (Frank), with an average somewhere around 70. I am proud to be one of them!
:-)