Roosevelt Glacier on Mt. Baker

These pictures were taken with my phone. I didn't bring the camera because I have been taking pictures of the woods and mountains all summer and didn't think I could outdo any of the previous pictures. We have been wanting to do this hike, the Heliotrope Ridge Hike, all summer but the Forest Service road leading up to it has been closed. It opened a week or so ago and we decided to go do the hike. The hike required fording some glacial streams that Kirsten and Marcos didn't like. We met some nice hikers-- Pam and Lance, who currently hail from New Jersey although Lance had some tales about growing up in Sumas, Washington and doing a milk delivery run through Glacier and Maples Falls (along the Baker highway)-- and they had a rope which made fording the glacial streams a little easier, at least in a psychological sense. Marcos seems to freeze up at the streams not because it's too deep (because his feet can touch bottom) but he has bad memories attached to these fordings. Anyways, you can see that fording the cold streams was worth it.

Not having a camera makes adventures better. To keep Lupe calm during our drives, we usually stop early to look for some hike or maybe just some open land along the highway. After leaving Cle Elum recently after a fishing trip,I pulled over at USFS road # 9714 not knowing what to expect other than a space with trees and devoid of cars and people where Lu and Mar could run free. We found trail #1351, the Iron Creek Bear Creek Trail, which led us to the Nason Ridge. That morning, September 10, 2009, will be etched in my memory as we came up to the ridge and there stood Mt. Rainier, looking ominous on the horizon, huge and engulfing our vision. Over 70 miles away, it dominated our view, making us realize just how big it is and how it dominates life in Washington. Not having a camera to document the beautiful view and the beautiful ridge that we were walking, made even more beautiful by the cool, crisp September air, made the moment even more special. Here's to leaving your camera at home.