MATSON ADVENTURE MEDIA .... .. writing and photography inspired by the wild places of the world

MT. BAKER IN THE MORNING
Story and photos by Mike Matson

A mountaineer guide to the tranquility of Washington’s Cascade Mountains.

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Like water pouring down the spillway of a gigantic dam, a bank of fog cascaded over the ridge below us and into the valley to the east.  An endless sea of clouds blanketed the landscape below, broken only by the highest of the surrounding peaks.  Tied into the rope between my three climbing partners, I witnessed one of the most beautiful sunrises of my life.  We watched the clouds below and the sky above turn from purple to pink to gold as the sun pulled itself above the eastern horizon.  We moved slowly up Mount Baker’s Coleman Glacier, the cold morning air in our lungs, our crampons crunching across the frozen blue ice.  There were the rewards for our 3 A.M. “alpine start.”  Up there above the clouds, that early morning experience seemed so distant from our normal lives it was hard to believe we were just 50 miles from the city of Bellingham.  While just one moment in the course of a two-day climb, years later that morning sticks with me as the essence of mountaineering. 

Climbing Mount Baker can be an intensely rewarding experience.  Standing 10,778 feet above sea level, Mount Baker is Washington’s third tallest mountain and northernmost volcano.  The combination of altitude and latitude coupled with consistently wet northwest winters blankets the mountain in world-record snowfall.  All this snow leaves Mount Baker covered by 14 distinct glaciers.  These glaciers make the perfect classroom for aspiring mountaineers.  The peak is low enough in elevation to avoid the dangers of altitude sickness, yet glaciated enough to provide a realistic introduction to the challenges of alpine climbing.  The Coleman Glacier route on the north side of the mountain and Easton Glacier route on the south side are both great practice steps for climbing larger mountains.  For this reason, Bellingham’s American Alpine Institute and other local mountaineering schools use Mount Baker for many of their beginning climbing classes and as training ground for some of the world’s loftiest summits.

Mount Baker is more than just a convenient classroom; it is a stunningly beautiful climb.  Unlike southern Cascade Volcanoes, Mount Baker is planted firmly in the heart of the jagged and picturesque North Cascades.  The North Cascades National Park Boundary butts up against Mount Baker’s eastern flank, giving climbers a view of the most rugged mountains in the state.  Peaks like Mount Shuksan and Ruth Mountain to the east, the Twin Sisters to the west, and the American Border peaks to the north, provide 360 degrees of jaw-dropping views.  And while climbers will not always find themselves alone on this mountain, they will appreciate the relatively few climbers here compared with the crowded routes on Mount Rainier and other Cascade Volcanoes. 

Experiencing Mount Baker does not need to include glacial travel.  Mount Baker Highway (Hwy. 542) provides access to a plethora of day hikes around the mountain.  The US Forest Service Heather Meadows Recreation Area at the terminus of the highway gives easy access to the beauties of an alpine meadow.  Perched on a saddle between the Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan, the views from artist point parking lot are stunning in both directions.  Heather Meadows blooms with some of the most prolific displays of wildflower in the Northwest.  Blooming heather, succulent lupine, phlox, and Indian paintbrush compete for space among lava and metamorphic rock outcroppings. 

Leading directly out of the Artist Point Parking lot, the Chain Lakes Trail takes hikers around Table Mountain, a plateau of black-speckled-gray volcanic rock.  The six mile round trip trail weaves between seasonal snow-melt ponds and alpine tarns.  The final destination of Iceberg Lake presents a great photo-op with a reflection shot of the volcano.  It’s also a great spot to watch the sun set behind the mountain.  In late-August and early-September, hikers sample abundant blueberries along the trail. 

Hikers looking for a more up-close and personal experience with Mount Baker should try Heliotrope Ridge Trail to Mount Baker base-camp.  Steep but rewarding, this 6.5 mile round trip trail leads right up to the base of the Coleman Glacier where it feeds into the Glacier Creek Drainage.  The glacier here is heavily crevassed, and a great place for hikers to peek into its inner workings.  From base-camp, known as the “The Hog’s Back,” hikers are rewarded with views of Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Canadian Coastal Range.  Listen for marmots and pikas whistling to warn friends of approaching hikers. 

For a more distant, but equally beautiful view of Mount Baker, hikers should consider Church Mountain.  Across the Nooksack River Valley from Mount Baker, Church Mountain presents a panoramic view of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan side by side.  At 8.5 miles this hike takes a bit of effort, but is well worth the sweat.  The trail weaves through old-growth Douglas Fir and Mountain Hemlock forests before breaking out into a lush green cirque full of wildflowers and seasonal streams.  I’ve seen cougar prints in the persistent late-summer snowfields.  The upper ridge of Church Mountain once accommodated a Forest Service fire lookout that was literally blown off the mountain by winter storms.  Look for the old cable and storage shed that remains near the summit and try to imagine living in this beautiful spot for the summer.

© Matson Adventure Media.....mike@mmatsonphoto.com