Washington Pass - May 24, 2017

There was still 4 1/2 feet of snow for this, our last snowshoe of the season. However, it was pretty hard  so one hardly needed the snowshoes. There were cool temperatures compared to past snowshoes here. Nevertheless it was a gorgeous hike.

Jolynn snaps a group photo

We finally lost one!

 Kay hikes along State Creek

Skagit Delta - May 22, 2017

The first paddle of the season was also our first paddle in this part of the Skagit Delta. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed the time with David and Jolynn.

 We enjoyed exploring a number of the side channels

We were surprised to see some snow geese lingering later than we expected.

 Jolynn caught this and the following photo of birds in flight.

Resting in a back eddy on our paddle back up river.

Huntoon Point - May 10, 2017

I had been waiting for weeks for a forecast that allowed for adequate visibility for this iconic snowshoe. Consequently I decided to go with a less than optimal report which called for at least partly sunny and minimal precip. It was less than ideal and the snow was mushy but we stayed dry and the place was still magical.

 Terry and I assess routing options.

 Terry was happy to get this one in this year.

 Jolynn and Judy begin the descent

It was sloppy going even with snowshoes.

Icicle Ridge - May 7, 2017

Kay and I hiked the Icicle Ridge Viewpoint as a "conditioner". The views were superb.

 Wedge Mountain overlooking the Icicle Valley.

 Tumwater Canyon

Lower Snow Creek Trail - May 4, 2017

The highlight of this outing was a magical encounter with a band of mountain goats. They were very habituated to humans and allowed us to move through them both going up the trail and later coming back. We had to wait for a couple to get out of the trail and later had to shoo one away who was following us. We considered ourselves very blessed to have this experience.

 Snow Creek Wall

 Icicle River