First hike of 2023! Our ten-mile out and back hike started at the Lost Lake parking area and proceeded thusly: up Fragrance Lake Road 2.2 miles to the connecting trail to Cleator Rd.; about .8 miles on the connector to Cleator; about a mile down Cleator to the turnoff trail (clearly signed) to Lower Chuckanut Ridge; then along the ridge for about a mile till we reached a suitable high point. After taking in some lovely views of Mt. Baker and its foothills, as well as Greater Bellingham, we pulled a U-ey and went back down to a great lunch spot along the Lower Ridge trail (see pic). Someone (WTA? Other Friends of Larrabee?) have recently built a bench there and "developed" the site, banking up and securing the area, which used to present a fairly precipitous drop-off. The bench site is more sheltered than the top of the ridge (where we usually stop for lunch) and there's a fantastic view of the San Juans and Samish Bay.
There were no obstacles today, just a few traces of the recent winds, in the form of branches strewn here and there. One downed tree was easily stepped over. There's one area about 2 miles up Fragrance Lake Road where there was a washout about 2 years ago. It is fenced off in orange plastic and folks can easily pass by (see last pic). Looks stable enough now, but who knows with our new "atmospheric river" events . . . ! The hike itself is a great keep-in-shape route, and it's also got some lovely features: old growth trees here and there (more on the Fragrance Lake route in particular, but that's a different hike) and views across the San Juans. The ridgeline trails (Lower, Middle and Upper) are all super peaceful and pretty, with mixed forest that allows for sunlight to sift through, and peek-a-boo views of Mt. Baker and the foothills. We gained some 2000 feet in elevation (according to WTA) across ten miles. Our hiking time today was just over 4 hours, including lunch. There were about 3 dozen people on the trails today (very few on the ridge), the highish numbers no doubt due to the holiday. Happy Healthy New Year, Everyone, and Happy Hiking!
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