Over The Top~

Barbara's Bench

It seems every so often, Joyce & I decide to buckle down to do this ride!  It's tough - it's hard gravel roads most of the way & it's up...  Way up!  I was surprised to wake this morning to the cloud cover, after yesterday's gorgeous day.  But not to be dissuaded, the weather was supposed to clear & it takes a while to get up to the views.

Joyce, Jesse & Farah wait below Barbara's Bench~

 We didn't get too much farther along until we found this sign on a corner.  Posted on an old growth stump.

Sign for a Timber Sale

The trees on these mountains have been cut so many times now that there really aren't many of the tall ones left.   The ones below were just a few feet from the sign.

Tall Trees

 All that logging is what's opened the views again.  The way we went today was the original Stimson Hill ride that Joyce scouted many years ago.  We continued on east, I wanted to see how far we could get towards the side of the mountain closest to Hwy 530 toward Darrington.

Toward Arlington

 By the time it was coming up on 1 p.m. the sun had burned through the lower level hazy, but it was still hanging higher.  Our high elevation on this ride was 2,247 feet. 

Looking south at the Front Range of the Cascades~

It was so quiet up here - a good breeze was blowing most of the afternoon, but both horses were acting spooky - no idea why.  Farah was so strong that she hadn't even broken a sweat by the time we were up & had plenty of energy to be on her guard?  It was so Quiet - so very Quiet that I could actually hear the silence - then the whisper of the breezes blowing across the landscape below.

Looking toward Whitehorse & Darrington

Joyce made all the correct turns & finally we came out at the view!  To say it is memorable is to say the least!  The peak of Whitehorse was peaking out from under the high clouds.  The size & scope of the views are hard to beat.  I never tire of them, or riding in the high country.

Heading down~

We turned to go back the same way we'd come up.  The old way we used to be able to take is blocked farther below.  No trail that we've found to date that would take us all the way around & that would be a long ride indeed.

Pilchuck on the far horizon

On the way down, the views always look different than on the way up - so I had to take one more shot.   The day really warmed up, I was using my new electrolyte pills & snacking on the way.  Still got warmer than I like - but well worth it!  Both horses had hardly worked up a sweat & were totally dry by the time we returned to Joyce's.