Up and Down

Yesterday morning, I left Seattle with the windshield wipers valantly attempting to rid my vision of raindrops. By North Bend, though, the rain had ceased. We were supposed to meet at the Mt. Si trailhead at 8:30. So said I, the leader. By 8:45, though, I only had three of the seven people who signed up to be followers. I guess they got scared off by the rain, but still, that is not the way it goes in the Mountaineers. If you sign up for a hike, you go on the hike! Or at least call me on my cellphone to cancel that morning. Don't leave us hanging.

Not a drop of rain on our hike. But plenty of wind. Much much much much wind. Out of the southeast, very strange. Great gusts, especially on the higher ridges. At one point, where the new and old trails come within spitting distance, we had steady 15 mph winds with sustained gusts over 30. Just estimates, but it had to be, or more. The trees swayed like a wheat field. I kept checking to see if any were going to fall on our heads.

It's very difficult to take a good photograph of swaying trees.

We turned around near the 3.5 mile point because of ice on the trail. One of my group had minicrampons, so he asked to go ahead and I acquiesced.

I got home around 1:00 and promptly started painting the trim in my living room. Primer then finish coat. Fireplace, under the sliding door, all the baseboard, the underside of the pass-through counter, under the kitchen cabinets, behind the refrigerator (okay, not completely back there), up and over the doors to two closets, the bathroom, and my bedroom. Crawling around on my hands and knees, scooting along on my butt, lying on the floor to see under the cabinets. For over six hours.

But at least I'm done now. . . . Except, of course, for touch-up work.