Join Thor, Bear dog, and me for a rerun of one of our favorite hikes to the Goat Mountain overlook and a celebration of wildflowers.
Continuing our Geezer Adventures, Thor and I assessed the state of our aging bodies, and in between physical therapy appointments, seized the day for a return to Goat Mountain. We knew it would be a challenge, as I’m still dealing with tachycardia and shortness of breath that seem to have been triggered by my major lung-cancer surgery two years ago (I have never smoked, I hasten to add). My old nemesis, cervical stenosis, has also reared hits ugly neck this summer, so I’m taking medication that makes me loopy and not good for much writing, but my legs still mostly work. And Thor has weathered three surgeries this year, including a shoulder joint replacement, along with his permanent nerve damage in the right calf that requires a prosthetic device for walking. I’m not trying to elicit sympathy, but hopefully to demonstrate that there are still possibilities out there for everyone suffering the inevitable indignities of bodies well past their half-lives. This year, we didn’t make it to the top, which was a disappointment, but we made it to the alpine meadows rich with wildflowers and all that vast, clean blue sky etched by mountain peaks.
Since my photos of a previous hike were better than this year’s, here’s my rerun from 2018:
Tiger lilies seem especially abundant this year:
I’ve yet to identify these lush alpine-meadow plants sprouting among bleeding-heart (my Grandma Sara’s favorite), but always enjoy seeing their curling leaves on the way to the overlook. Can anyone name them?
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4 thoughts on “The Rambling Writer Hikes the Goat Mountain Trail”
It was a beautiful day, but boy what a slog to get up there!
We might have to take that trail off our lists, unfortunately. But, hey, we gave it our best shots!
Such beautiful greens, and those flowers! And the happy pupper! Very cheering.
Thanks for coming along again, Sherwood!