Mountains and more...

This morning I got up at 6 and headed east to the mountains or at least what counted for a mountain in my book.  Table Mountain is a comparatively small mountain in between Mt Baker and Shuksan, the key mountains in the Northern Cascades.  It really isn't that big--I described it to one person as the mountain, the tiny mountain, that lets you see the big, real mountains better.  Actually it that is pretty accurate.  The base is at Artists' Point (5,140 feet)  and from that start of the trail head it climbs very steeply  for about an 800 foot vertical gain.  Essentially it is like walking a mile, but also climbing about 1500 steps, or 150 or so stories, while you are walking that mile.

It is more complicated that that, but it is also one of the most beautiful walks that I have ever been on.  No matter the direction, you have a view that is inspiring.  What is also fun is that about four years ago, I climbed this hunk of rock and nearly died.  I thought that it was brutal, and almost undoable.  I made it up to the top--calling it a summit seems a bit pretentious--in record time and while I didn't sprint up, I actually didn't embarrass or hurt myself while walking up or down.  That pretty much makes the day a success right there!  I even found a photo or two.  It wasn't a perfect day, as smoke from all of the more than 200 active fires in the state made it a very hazy day.  I think, though, that you will still get the idea as to what a tremendous fabulous day it was.

The PNW is a healing sort of place, and I have thought a lot about that these past few days.  I think that it is just because it is so hard to be angry or sad or disappointed or whatever when you can look ahead or over your shoulder and see such sights.  I think that is why people on the whole are so laid back--yes, they might get mad because someone hit their car and made them spill their 13th cup of coffee.  But once they get out on the street, both drivers look up and say, "hey, there's Baker, isn't the weather great?  Here's my insurance agent's card..."

A note on the photos.  I tried for a good waterfall photo, and I have several. But they simply aren't sharp, and at first, I was kind of angry.  Seriously, for the first time in my life I have the absolute best camera equipment ever, and I can't get a sharp photo--it's not like the waterfall itself was moving about.   It turns out, I am a victim of how good my lens actually are.  Though I had the camera on a tripod, the image stabilization feature of the lens causes it to shake just a tiny bit.  Normally, that movement just helps cover up my shaking, but on a tripod, for a two second exposure, it causes it to lose its sharpness.

The second shot is Table Mountain, and then there are a few of Baker and Shuksan and some that show the haze from all the fires.  My favorite.  The one that I took with my phone.  Which makes me wonder why I carried and extra 15 lbs of cameras and lenses up the hill...