Wildflowers at Mt Baker, WA

One of our favourite places to hike (and ski!) is Mount Baker in Washington State. It is only a couple of hours away by car. But somehow we haven't made it up there for a few years. So when we had the opportunity to go this weekend, and also take my sister, who hasn't been to the top (Artist's Point), we were happy to go, even if the weather was a bit overcast.

Mt Baker is an exciting place, since it is snowed in most of the year, so the road up to Artist's Point may only open for a very short portion of the year (in August and early September), before the snow starts again. So there are always some patches of snow to enjoy (which is a really neat treat in the heat of the summer), and it seems all the wildflowers are in a rush to bloom at once (and there are miniature wild blueberries too!).

This time, we drove up into clouds, so it was "half" the experience. A pretty trail through wildflowers, but with no surrounding rugged snow-capped peaks for view. It was different. I hope my sister has another chance to visit and see it on a clear day, with the beautiful peaks - maybe next year.

The family had to stop and wait for me a number of times while I snapped flower photos (and catch my breath, too - it's been a while since I've been hiking, because of all the problems with my feet this last year). I hope you enjoy them! As always, click on the photo for a slightly larger view (although perhaps I reduced some of them too much, so the misty & dewy effect is not visible):