Blueberry Knoll Hike

 Today is my friend Pam's birthday. She wanted to do a good hike to celebrate, so she chose the Blueberry Knoll hike at the Government Peak Recreation Area.  We started at noon to avoid the coldest part of the day. This trail is very steep with a few very tough rocky sections. Sometimes those sections are really muddy and treacherous. The first part of the trail was very nice with hard packed snow. We climbed easily wearing our micro spikes for traction. As we climbed and the trail got steeper, it also got warmer. The nice hard packed snow started to turn into some very slippery slushy sections. It became much more challenging as we reached the areas that are normally treacherous even in perfect conditions. We were both wondering how hard it was going to be for us to get back down as things warmed up and became even more slippery. Once up on the ridge we were above those nasty spots and back to the nice hard packed firm snow. Pam's dog, Dahla had booties on in the beginning, but Pam found out fairly quickly that booties made climbing in icy conditions much harder for the poor little dog. So, she removed them. Then Dahla was able to race along with Bella. Bella was usually far ahead of the rest of us and was waiting on the top by the picnic table when we arrived. The view was gorgeous and we were so blessed to have such a beautiful blue-sky day. It was warm enough that I felt like I could stay there for hours. But we both needed to go back down. I found it easier to actually run down the hard packed areas, but Pam has some trouble on steep downhills. I would just spring ahead and wait for her to catch up. When I encountered the bad spots again, I picked my way down very carefully. I made it down the first 2 bad spots but ended up jumping from the worst area and landing on the mud. But I wasn't hurt. It was kind of embarrassing because another hiker was stopped right below the place I fell, and I felt like a klutz. My water bottle had fallen out, and he helped me get it back into the pouch on my pack. When Pam finally got right above that bad spot, I tried to talk her down a better way. But she didn't understand what I was trying to tell her. She managed to find a way all on snow and did a sitting slide down to where I was waiting. She lost her good water bottle somewhere along the way. Maybe we will find it some other day while hiking up there. We were both happy to get back to our cars with no injuries. We celebrated her birthday at a picnic table with my gifts and a tiny chocolate cake that I brought with me. It was a great hike and a fun way to celebrate her turning 76. We had 2 happy but tired dogs. 

Bella & Me

Pam & Dahla