April 22, 2009
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Wichita Mountains – Saturday
This trip was all about relaxing and enjoying some me time, right?? It appears someone forgot to tell my bodyclock and I woke up at 5.30AM!! Alice and Chris were still sleeping so I lay in bed until Alice woke up about an hour later.
I made oatmeal and cherry crumble with yogurt for breakfast – healthy huh? Add a couple cups of coffee into to mix and I was ready for the day. There was a very low cloud cover/mist but we were optomistic that there would be no rain.
We headed back to the hike that we didn’t get to finish the day before. The mist made for some dramatic photos. It was amazing how many people were out and about compared to the day before when only people we saw were the ones that we helped get back on the trail.
Lots of pretty spring flowers dotted the trails.
I hiked here last fall with the kids and some nice soul pointed us in an easier route that winds up and round the rocky part of Baldy.
The low clouds were starting to lift then suddenly…….
Blue Skies!!!Can I tell you how happy I was?? I think I maybe even squealed with excitement!
We didn’t quite make it to the summit as it got kind of treacherous, but we were more than happy to have gotten up as far as we had.
And we needed to keep our reserves for getting back down again!
Those walking sticks got lots of compliments whilst we were out.
Some photos taken as we were heading back to the car.
We drove to the picnic area at the Northern most part of the refuge. I had never been to this one, it was beautiful. The bathrooms here were an adventure to say the least. No stall doors and very primitive. But I should be thankful there wasn’t a young man in the ladies when I went. Alice wasn’t quite that fortunate! At least he was the one on the pot and not the other way around.
We found some horses grazing by the turn off to the picnic area. Chris was keen to feed them carrots that we had in our picnic, I wasn’t – that was my lunch!!
Photos from the picnic area
The finale to our time in the refuge was to be to drive up the autoroad that goes to the top of Mount Scott. Poor Alice was a nervous wreck on the way up and had her eyes covered. We stopped at sever points on the way up to take photos.
There are lots of cool boulders to explore on the top of Mount Scott and I found this guy sunning himself up there.
By now it was time to make the drive north back to Oklahoma City. There were some severe thunderstorms popping up and I dislike storms as much as Alice dislikes drive up mountain roads!
We decided that we had to round off our trip with a stop for ice cream. As soon as I got a decent signal I found the address of a Braums on my iphone. We found one in Chickasha and boy did that ice cream taste good!
My little people were very happy to see Miss Chris pull up at our house. I think Little Lady shadowed me the rest of the weekend!
It was a wonderful break, lots of laughs and great company. My family missed me but they survived and maybe next time I can go away for longer too!
Comments (13)
This is incredible! I loved the pics…thank you! I need to get up and get moving. You three obviously had a ball!
the flower colour pops are almost electric against the boulders. it is so important to get away from family -everyone appreciates each other rather than falling into the forgetfulness of all those things that we love and appreciate.
Beautiful pictures! The blue skies and the water reflections were gorgeous. It’s been too long since I had a day trip like that- maybe this summer I’ll get the opportunity.
Your pictures are lovely and I loved taking this hike with you in my imagination. Where is Mt. Scott?
@terrific58 -
It’s in South West Oklahoma. In the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.
Beautiful pics as usual Gillian. That picnic site was awesome. I also like the picture of the lake from Mt. Scott.
What wonderful pictures, which insures you had a great time. The terrain reminds me very much of southern Arizona, especially around the Tucson area.
5h30 a;m; !!too early for me !!
But what a reward ! This hike in the granitic mountains was an enchantment . The myst added to the mystery of the place . Then the blue sky and the sun revealed the beauty of the landscape : mountains , lakes , grazing and forests.
Your track was sometimes risked to go up and down but you succeeded to reach the top .
You have collected a lot of splendid photos . It is a trip you cannot forget.
Love
Michel
What a fun trip to take with your friends! Wonderful pictures.
Beautiful!! As always. Yeah, I was a little shocked that it’s nearly been 5 months since I was last out here. Eeeek. It’s good to see you again, too.
Its a beautiful place Gill, lucky you being able to sample it, not sure about the five thirty start though!
I loved reliving the trip through your pictures and travelogue. It was a great getaway and what fun!
{v }
Boy, was that ever a fun outing, and I loved your journal. It brings back such great memories. I’m sure glad YOU were the one who slept in the loft. That ladder to the loft was really scary.