All that rain is good for the complexion

Peggy looking very well moisturized

I have to say, showing up on a Thursday when it's already raining out, for a hike rated hard, and find 9 of us rarin' to go, makes me wonder about my choice of companions. Seriously, I was taken aback at how many of us decided to make a go of it on this less-than-stellar day. The other group of Senior Trailblazers also hiked Bellingham's Chuckanut Ridge today, but they only went six miles while we went ELEVEN miles. We ran into them after lunch, and I was surprised to see that fifteen people went out with that group. This is a hardy bunch of seniors, and I'm proud to be part of them.

I don't have many pictures from today, because I was reluctant to expose my camera to the incessant rain. We hiked in mud puddles with the rain falling around us, as you can see from this picture. I don't remember seeing this pond before, but it might be around only seasonally. It wasn't terribly heavy rain, just consistent. It's no wonder that we have so much moss, but it's also quite lovely if you have the right mindset.

When we stopped for a quick lunch (no reason to just hang around in the rain), Norm pulled out this stool that he carried the entire way for just a few minutes of leisure time. If you enlarge the picture, you can see that we were all well moisturized. I tell myself that hiking in all this rain IS good for the complexion, not to mention good for cleaning out the sinuses.

This is one of the places in the country where you can't figure out where north is by looking at the formation of moss on the trees. It's everywhere. But all this rain does make for a lush environment in the summer, when the rain lessens and then stops. For about a month. It was not terribly cold, temperature in the high 40s F, but it still seems cold when you just can't stay dry. We not only walked 11 miles today, we also gained and lost over 2,600 feet of elevation. Chuckanut Ridge is one of our winter hikes that I never want to miss, since I know I will get a good workout. It was a fine day, if you consider how much better my wine tastes right now compared to how it would be after sitting around inside on a grey, rainy day.
:-)