Skyline Divide to Chowder Ridge Anniversary Hike

Our last outing of our Anniversary week adventures wrapped up with a hike to Skyline Divide and continuing on towards Chowder Ridge. I haven't gone any farther than a small knoll to the right of the first ridge on the divide, so I was very excited to see just how far we would get.

We hiked the 2 miles up the divide trail before turning right and going over the first 2 (of 6) knolls. When we got to the 3rd knoll there was a fork in the trail again we took a right and headed south towards Chowder ridge. 

heading up the knolls

Skyline Divide behind me

Looking towards Skyline Divide from the knoll

Mt. Baker in the distance

In the photo below you can see the fork in the trail, the trail to the left goes towards Deadhorse creek. The trail to the right goes over another knoll and towards Chowder Ridge. We took the trail to the right.

In the distance you can see the 6th knoll. That is where we ate lunch. The views were incredible.

Pictures of "us" from the top of the knoll, looking towards Mt. Baker.

The photo below shows just how far we had come. Skyline Divide is the farthest green ridge on the left.

Panoramas of Shuksan and Mt. Baker.

As we headed back towards the Divide the clouds got darker and a few rain drops turned into a rain storm. We had packed our rain gear so we put it on and enjoyed our hike out.

This week of our 45th Anniversary set aside to backpack and hike together got me to thinking about how hiking and marriage are so similar:

you have to be committed to your goal to be successful

there are ups and downs

extremely low points

extremely high points

mountain top experiences

grit your teeth and just get through it experiences

sunshine and rainbows

As we were looking at Skyline Divide today and all of the valleys in between the ridges I realized marriages are like this. People grow apart and soon there is a divide so large it seems impossible to come together or the opposite can happen,  the two can grow closer through the years and build a stronger bond year by year.

In my adult years I've struggled to believe in God, I was raised in a Christian home but I have difficulty with alot of the concepts of organized religion and how they frame who and how God is.

I heard this parable alot in church as I was growing up "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6 (KJV).

I may not have come completely back to my roots but there are some concepts that have stayed with me all of my life. I believe in love, hope and forgiveness. These concepts I learned as a child and have continued in my mind and heart as an adult. These are the foundations of my love in my marriage to my husband.

To us, "Happy 45th" may the highs always overshadow the lows.

Endomondo stats:

total miles hiked - 8.7 miles

minimum altitude - 4491 feet

maximum altitude - 6727 feet

 total ascent - 2999 feet

total descent - 3077 feet

If you'd like to read about our Anniversary week backpacking trip to Watson Lakes you can read it HERE, and our hike to Ptarmigan Ridge & the Portals HERE.