Summer came early in 2015 and the hike to the peak of Tod Mountain was much drier than in previous years.   We like to hike on Tod Toonie Day for the cheap lift ticket and to support  the Food Bank.   We weren’t the first on the chair, but we were first to the peak on that day, taking only 1.25 hours.   We followed a loop route – Crystal Bowl to Top of the World to West Ridge Trail to Tod Peak Trail to the summit.   On the way back we went past Tod Lake.

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All of the snow was gone and the meadows were lush with growth.   Wildflowers were abundant on the approach to the peak.

At 7060 feet the summit is in the alpine zone.

In early July, lupines, paintbrush, cow parsnip, hellebore, chickweed, and arnica were the dominant flowers.   Columbine, buckwheat, yarrow, and sedum can also be found away from the meadows.

We looped down to the end of Tod Lake, and might have stopped for a quick swim, but it was still morning when we passed the lake so we just enjoyed the view.

We have done at least one hike up on Tod Mountain every year now for 39 years and will continue to do so for as long as we can……