My mom is one of my best friends and once a year we have a Mother/Daughter Weekend . . .and this year we chose to spend some of our weekend hiking the Chain Lakes Trail up Mt. Baker in Washington State. It’s a 5.7 mile loop trail – but we decided to only do a section of it and hammock the afternoon away and hike back out the way we came.
This trail is an absolute favorite of ours. . . probably because you park and BAM! instant picturesque scenes in every single direction!!! You can see Mt. Baker, Mt. Shuksan, and a lot of the North Cascades National Park 🙂
With the exception of sliding down a snow bank and landing in a snowmelt/mud puddle to begin the hike (God Bless Quick Drying Pants) the hike was fantastic!!!
The beginning of the hike is the inside rim around a valley bowl – which can be a little vertigo-inducing. I tend to watch my feet a lot on this section of the hike. The clouds were rolling in and filling the bowl . . . it’s quite an experience to literally see the clouds fill a valley – when we hiked Ptarmigan Ridge last year it was totally clear and then we saw the clouds roll in (QUICKLY) and sock in the entire trail. This year wasn’t as thick of clouds, but still quite solid.
I love all the different textures of nature. . . the jagged rocks, the flowing grasses, the crunchy snow, the fluttering leaves. . . it all comes together so perfectly!
We hit a few patches of snow along the way . . . just took it slow and steady and were able to conquer that obstacle. Plus going slower really gave us time to take in the 360* views!
          
The wildflowers were INCREDIBLE. . . there were so many different colors and shapes along the trail!
      
     
     
Relaxing in the hammock during a hike is so delightful. . . just to get off your feet and rest and recharge! The moss growing on the trees around us looked like green french braids down the trunks. . . I was fascinated by this!
          
All in All – a successful Mother/Daughter hike!!!! Next year, we’re planning to do a camping trip together!
