Take a Hike!

 On Labor Day we drove up to Artist Point at Mt. Baker with friends to go on a hike.  We took off from the upper parking lot and thought we'd do a token mini hike and then eat lunch, hike back to the car and then stop at Chair 9 for a snack.  Easy peasy.  We hiked to the first snow field, felt good, it wasn't lunch time so we kept hiking.  We thought we'd go the first lake of Chain Lakes.  

 We kept going, hiking, sliding, enjoying the views.  We stopped for lunch.

As we ate lunch at one of the lakes I suddenly heard something running up from behind me.  Something large and breathing heavily.  I froze. I thought for sure it was a bear and didn't even dare to turn around.  A very large Saint Bernard came panting up to me.  

Scared me to bits!  I was a little leery of bears after that encounter.
After lunch we hit the trail again.

Mark was our leader and he did ask if we wanted to turn around several times.  I thought it'd be farther to turn back so I always voted to keep going.  I nearly cried when he told us we were half way.  Honestly, I thought he was joking and that we would see the parking lot around the corner any minute.  Our poor leader had a choir of whiners behind him on the trail.

 The lakes were beautiful, the wildflowers were blooming, it was gorgeous.  Our elevation gain was 1700 feet and it is an 8 mile hike.  Once we got to Bagley Lake and the lower parking lot the guys agreed to hike back to the upper parking lot, pick up the car, drive back and pick up us girls at the lower lot.

I was fine with my 6.5 miles. Thanks guys!

We made a stop at Nooksack Falls and then on to Milanos for dinner.  We were all past the point of just a snack at Chair 9 and we could totally rationalize the pasta after our hike.  We also felt we earned ice cream at Edaleen in Sumas.  A beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest.