Heliotrope Ridge

The popular Heliotrope Ridge trail runs from its trailhead off the Mount Baker Highway to an over look which provides great views of Mount Baker and of Coleman Glacier.  It is also the climbers' route for the west side of Baker and the route we took last fall when we climbed the peak.  I hiked the trail with my brother, Tim, while he was in the area on business and enjoyed it once again, though I've hiked it uncounted times.  There wasn't much blooming but we had a beautiful day in spite of the bad weather back home and even did part of the climber's trail up the Hogback before returning, stopping along the way for a cup of coffee/hot chocolate and a late lunch.

At one point I stepped up on some mossy (and slippery rocks) to take a picture of some Devil's Club berries and slipped and fell.  I rolled across the trail and down the slope on the other side of the trail, all the time trying to protect my camera.  My downward progress was arrested by another clump of these plants.  Tim, who heard my yell of dismay came running back to help me extricate myself.  Apart from a few bumps and bruises I was uninjured except for a lot of thorns in my hands and and arms and legs, thorns that I am still trying to get out.  Not sure, at my age that it was wise to try and protect the camera rather than myself.

Further down the trail I also discovered I had lost my water bottle, a bottle that is merely an old Gatorade bottle wrapped in duct tape (for fixing anything that breaks).  That would not have been a great loss in itself, but it has gone with me uncounted years and many miles and I didn't want to lose it.  We looked for it and found it in the clump of Devil's Club when we came back down.  Even that, however, was not the end of the story.  When I was home again and looked at my pictures I had a whole series of blurs among them.  I must have had my finger on the shutter as I rolled across the trail and down the hill and they were the result.

trail

Grouse Creek

Devil's Club berries

 Earthstar fungus

Kulshan Creek

along the trail

Heliotrope Creek

Bolete mushroom

Glacier Creek

near the viewpoint

Heliotrope Ridge viewpoint

Pearly Everlasting

unidentified seedheads

Dwarf Fireweed

Coleman Glacier

Mount Baker

from the viewpoint

Grass of Parnassus

Thistle

Yellow Fireweed

Devil's Club berries

Red-banded Polypores

one of the "photos" taken while falling