RHH's photos with the keyword: chain lakes

This will be the last of the photos from my Chain Lakes hike. I have more but want to go on to other things. The lake in the photo is Iceberg Lake and the slope on the far side of the lake is the west shoulder of Table Mountain. At this point I was about half way around the loop that circles Table Mountain.

This was the first part of the trail I took up the shoulder of Herman Peak before the trail dropped down again behind Herman Peak and Table Mountain to the Chain Lakes. The red bushes are blueberries, the yellow grasses are sedges, the orange bushes at the top of the photo are mountain ash. The blue of the blueberries can even be seen on the bushes at the right.

This was taken after climbing to Herman Saddle and then beginning the drop down behind Table Mountain. Iceberg Lake, just visible in this shot, lies in the shadow of Table Mountain, and I would hike around to far side, just visible in the trees.

The Galena-Chain Lakes trail drops down behind Table Mountain and threads its way around and between a number of lakes. This is the last of the lakes before the trail climbs again back up to Kulshan Ridge and Artist's Point. The area is also filled with evidence of Baker's volcanic nature, including the red boulders on the right.

This was taken along the Galena-Chain Lakes trail as it went up between Herman Peak and Table Mountain towards Herman Saddle and when the mist and clouds were heaviest. The Galena-Chain Lakes trail is in the area just north of Mount Baker and the trail begins not far from the Heather Meadows ski area near Mount Baker.

Another photo from my Chain Lakes hike in October, this one was taken near the beginning of the hike as the trail went up the side of Herman Mountain from Bagley Lakes.

Known elsewhere as Rosebay Willowherb, this was one of the few wildflowers I found still blooming along the Chain Lakes trail and this was the only one of the many Fireweed plants that still had flowers.

Another photo taken near Herman Saddle and looking back toward Mount Shuksan, invisble in the mist. This area is always good for autumn color and the color this year, perhaps enhanced by the mist, seemed better than usual.

Another photo taken in the same general area as the two previous photos I've uploaded, this shows the bands of autumn color on the scree slopes near the back of Table Mountain. The yellows are sedges, the greens a small plant called Partridge Foot and the reds the Cascade Blueberries.

This was taken on my hike along the Galena-Chain lakes loop and near the end of the hike as the trail skirted the south slopes of Table Mountain on its way back to Artist's Point. The trail is visible on the near side of the trees and then again are the far side as it drops down a bit before climbing up the final stretch to Artist's Point.

This is the seed head of the Western Pasqueflower, Anemone occidentalis, a very common sight in the mountains in autumn. Known for obvious reasons as the Old Man of the Mountains, this one is already losing its seeds. It was photographed along the Galena-Chain Lakes trail in the North Cascades near Mount Baker.

These are the wild blueberries that grow in the mountains here, the Cascade Blueberries. They are delicious and were super abundant this year. I ate them at different places along the Galena-Chain Lakes trail but they were especially abundant on the first part of the hike up to Herman Saddle.

When I hiked the Chain Lakes trail I found only a few of these asters and a few fireweed still blooming. I've identified it as the Leafybract Aster but it could be one of several different species.

The Galena-Chain Lakes trail begins near the Mount Baker Ski Area and after skirting Bagley Lakes heads up to Herman Saddle and through the saddle to the lakes for which the trail is named, circling around the back of Table Mountain to Artist's Point and then back down to Austin Pass and the ski area. I hiked this trail several weeks ago when the autumn color was still good, but the day which had been forecast sunny turned out damp and cloudy. The photo was taken along the trail from Bagley Lakes to Herman Saddle.

Last autumn Tim and I had the opportunity to go hiking near Austin Pass in the area of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. We aborted the hike on account of the weather but did get to see some of the autumn color in the area. Now you get to see it, too.

A few weeks ago my wife and I made our last hike of the season, a day hike up the Galena-Chain Lakes Trail in the area of Mount Baker. The autumn color was better than we had ever seen, the red of the huckleberries contrasting with the yellow-orange of the Mountain Ash and the green of the conifers. This was taken along the trail we hiked. More pictures and a more detailed description of our hike can be found at: ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2010/11/autumn-colo...

I've posted three pictures, something I have not done in a long time. PLEASE do not feel that you have to comment on them all or even on any of them. I only hope you enjoy the beautiful autumn colors and scenery. I posted this picture to show the incredible beauty of the area we live in. This is high in the North Cascades, but only a little over an hour's drive and another hour's hike from where we live. I feel sometimes that the mountains, both scenery and small nature, are so beautiful that my heart is going to stop beating just by seeing it all, and to see it in all the changes that seasons bring is a gift beyond description. Several weeks ago, only days before this area was closed because of snow, my wife and I hiked the trail that is just visible on the left to Chain Lakes. We had never hiked this trail but were overwhelmed by the views of Mount Shuksan. The autumn color, too, was the best we had ever seen and we each came home with over a thousand pictures. Not all of them were saved, but we did manage to capture a few priceless memories of autumn in the mountains. Some of the features visible in this shot are identified in the notes, and a more detailed description of our hike with further pictures can be found at: ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2010/11/autumn-colo...

In Explore November 29, 2010, #306. Just before the area was closed for the winter, my wife and I hiked the Galena - Chain Lakes Trail in the Mount Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest. We went to see the autumn color which was better than ever, but also had some spectacular views of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan, two of the most prominent peaks in the North Cascades. This is the view from the ridge we climbed and looks to the southwest, a rather unusual view of Mount Baker. Mount Shuksan was behind us when we took these photos. Some photos of the autumn color are found in the following blogpost: ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2010/11/autumn-colo... And a bit late here's the blog post of our hike and the scenery: ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2010/11/galena-chai...