Saturday 10:00 till 1:30ish

So, off we marched up the hill. Fog swept up at us, quickly dissolving into the sky along the ridgeline. Witness the next two photos, taken ten seconds apart from the same point, just in different directions:





When the fog rolls in, I don't stop taking photos. I just stop taking broad landscape photos. I focus on the little things alongside the trail. Like dew-covered lupine leaves:


From here on out, Mt Baker teased with us, showing us a shoulder or a foot. I guess we never paid enough for the striptease because she never showed her all. We sat at the viewpoint for an hour and a half, waiting. Despite the clouds, it was actually sunny. Thin clouds, you see?

Steve brought cards, so we played spades. Kyle and I won, 300± to 150±. The cards had animals on them. The queen of spades was the spotted skunk.


The clouds lifted somewhat, which meant a few things: the mountain view was even more definitely blocked, it got colder out because the sun was also blocked, and we could see down the hill to a little ice-covered lake the Mountaineers book calls 14-Goat Lake. We had time, so we went down there.


Most of the plants in that area were tiny. Mosses and the like. But there was also thistle! Ordinary Canadian thistle, growing way up in the rocks and snow. It was the tallest species around.

So here are some pics of the lake:





Can you see Mt Shuksan? This last one is the view from the campsite by the lake. I need to go backpacking there sometime, so I can explore around a bit more.

Only Steve and I ran down to the lake, Kyle and Bruce having stopped at the top of the last hill. Can you find Steve in this photo?


The hill was much steeper going up than down. Odd that.

More tomorrow.