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Dan kindly drove. Fortunately he had a recreation pass. (Mouse over thumbnails for medium-sized images; left-click on thumbnails for full-size versions.) |
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There were many mushrooms along the trail, and the forest had a odd smell, which we assumed was due to the blooms of fungus or bacteria in the warm (72° F) day, after weeks of rain and cooler temperatures. |
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Here is the reflection of one of the Damfino Lakes (as in Damn if I know). They are more like large ponds. |
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Sherry and Dan, my hiking companions, on a boardwalk near the lakes. |
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Another view of the same lake. |
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There were some streams and waterfalls, like this one. |
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We just exited the trees and into a hillside meadow. The autumn colors were delightful; the reds are mostly blueberry bushes (which had still had a few sweet berries); the yellows were typically ash trees. |
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Sherry amid the colors. |
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Meadow with Mount Baker in the background. |
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Mount Baker. Sherry kept saying, "It looks just like Mt. Blanc!" |
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We took High Divide after venturing down Excelsior Trail long enough to see it was going way down before coming back up. |
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I think Mt. Shuksan is in the background. Their faces are hard to see in this picture; I should probably make it lighter. |
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This is Excelsior Ridge. We took a side trip up to the high point. |
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Here we are at the top of the ridge, looking in the direction of Excelsior Peak. |
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Here was the view while we ate lunch, beside the trail that runs less than a hundred feet below the the ridge. |
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Sitting on the treetop is a hawk that crossed the trail earlier, just a few meters in front of me. |
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It flew near us and then away; you can see it in the middle of the frame here. |
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That's bloody colourful! |
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Nearing the top of the peak. |
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The next photos are for making a panorama at the top. |
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Sherry remarked that the surrounding mountains provided quite a variety of terrains, ranging from the magestic Mt. Baker to the jagged peaks of Shuksan to what resembled the rolling Appalacians of West Virginia and more. |
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"Look over there ..." |
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Mushrooms under an ash tree. |
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I pushed the shutter button and the butterfly took off... |
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And landed on my heel. I'm being attacked by a man-eating butterfly! |
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It was hard to defend myself and quickly photograph it with the camera strap still looped around my neck. |
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Strange tree fungus. |
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Less strange tree fungus. |
