Staying with my Washington theme for the day. Let's go back to Tabletop Mountain again. I took you to the top of Tabletop Mountain yesterday, with the only picture being my all time favorite. Today I'll show you a few more pictures of my nephews, Christopher and Jeremy, on Tabletop Mountain.Some years, the road to the parking lot, you see here, does not open. The Mount Baker area gets one of the world's deepest accumulations of snow. Some years it does not melt enough to open the area you see here. The road to the Tabletop Mountain parking lot goes past the Mount Baker ski area. If you saw this location in winter you would have trouble believing you could drive here in late summer. Trails lead up Tabletop Mountain and on to Mount Baker from this location.
That is our destination in the distance, the top of Tabletop Mountain. You pick your way over snow and rock til you pick up the trail.
This is a classic Northwest Washington type mountain trail. That is Mount Shuksan off to the right.
Now we are at the top of Tabletop Mountain. If I remember right Jeremy was contemplating throwing a snowball at me. Which he soon did. He missed.
It did not look too dangerous, so when Christopher asked if he could slide down that little glacier, I said sure, not realizing Chris would pick up quite a lot of speed that sent him quite a long distance. I had some concern I was being an irresponsible uncle. I had a reputation for getting my 4 nephews into what came to be known as Nephews in Danger episodes. The worst of those was when nephew Joey and I climbed Sauk Mountain in a snowstorm.
Chris had fun sliding down the glacier, so Jeremy had to give it a try. Being an expert skateboarder, Jeremy was able to do this much more gracefully than his brother. That is the north side of Mount Baker that Jeremy is heading towards. If we were climbing up the south side of Mount Baker we would be able to see steam coming out of the volcano. I was able to see Mount Baker from my kitchen window in Mount Vernon.So, there you go, you've now been on a virtual hike up a Washington mountain in September. And I'm still whining about being homesick for a real mountain. And some blackberries.
You would have most definitely been my favorite uncle.
ReplyDeleteThanks. It is pretty much universally acknowledged by those who know, that I am one great uncle. Sadly, I have no nieces.
ReplyDeleteand if their momma had been there i suspect you would've been wearing a bruise after your nephew came to a safe stop.
ReplyDeleteMy nephew's mama's knew I would cause no harm. Though, there was a time the mother of my two oldest nephews, Joey and Jason, called me up because they'd driven this road in this park in Anacortes, called Washington Park, it's sort of a scenic loop that twists and turns its way to a panoramic view of Puget Sound. Well, my nephews let it be known that we had hiked from the scenic view down to the water. Now, my sister-in-law, never having done so, did not realize it was perfectly safe. From her perspective, looking down from the summit, it appeared I led my nephews over a cliff. I told her to walk down it herself and she would see it was safe.
ReplyDeleteNow. My claim of safety regarding a picture of my oldest nephew walking out on a rickety wooden suspension bridge across the raging Methow River in Eastern Washington, that one was a bit harder to explain. I claimed that though the water was raging, it was very shallow. A very weak argument. But it worked.
I have an aunt living in Federal Way. One day, when I was much younger she called my Dad's house and not getting them she spoke to me and she began to tell me she saw Adie Wells today. She was going on about Adie Wells and I had to ask, Lucy, who is Adie Wells? For a moment she was as confused as I but she explained Adie Wells was not a person but eighty whales was a pod! That little story will stick w/ me forever, I think.
ReplyDeleteTwister---I love the Adie Wells story. I've never seen a pod of 80 Orcas, Aunt Lucy was likely justifiably quite impressed. I know my one and only encounter has never left my memory bank.
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