A group of us--the Boomers Hiking group--hiked to Excelsior Ridge. Rigorous hike for my first hike of the year. Some members of the group weren't bothered at all by the rigor. 72 switchbacks up, 72 down. Steep from bottom to top. Beautiful day--comfortable temperature. Only a few mosquitos. The payoff at the top was well worth it. What a view of Mt Baker and the surrounding valleys. The top of the ridge was still snow covered, so we couldn't hike along the ridge. But we scrambled to the top and could see north into Canada, and south to Mt Baker. The wild flowers were abundant. Great hike.

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