08/24/03 Hiking Excelsior Mountain Trail(6.5 miles round trip):
I took one day off and then yesterday was spent in Bellingham. The 'Check Engine' light came on in the truck, probably indicating a computer sensor was going bad. Rather than have the truck go dead on me in the boonies, I headed for Bellingham, 60 miles away, where I could get help if needed. The Dodge dealer service department was closed on Saturday which is just as well... the light went off. I hung out the rest of the day doing chores, etc. and came back to Mount Baker early this morning.
This morning was like a fall day, in the 40's and stayed brisk and cool most of the morning.
The hike got off to a rousing start. I hadn't gone but 1/4 mile when I spotted a black bear just off the trail. It knew I was there but seemed confused as to where to go and what to do. It started forward, then went back and then got up on the trail and came towards me.
I think it heard or smelled me but didn't quite know where I was. Then it saw me, turned around and took off up over a high bank. Then I saw two cubs scooting up different trees. That's probably what confused the mama bear, knowing the cubs were on the other side of the trail and I was on the trail.
Meanwhile, I was just backing up and trying to get the camera out. Once I saw the cubs I knew I was fortunate not to have gotten myself between her and the cubs. Unfortunately, by the time I got the camera out, turned on and focused, they were gone.
The trial forks in 1/2 mile mile with Boundary Way and Canyon Ridge Trails going off to the left and Damfino Lakes to the right. A ranger was asked the names of the lakes and he said Dam if I know and that became their name. They're really just a couple of small ponds.
I followed the trail past the lakes a mile up through the forest up to a small meadow on the first part of a 1600 foot climb. Passed a couple of dumb looking/acting brown chicken things on the way, probably grouse. Then through a stand of trees, a larger meadow and up a steeper hill.
Here I found a sign to the High Divide Trail and turned left onto it. The first big knoll is Excelsior Mountain. Uninterrupted views of Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan and all those other peaks to the south with the many Border Peaks on the Canadian border and beyond to the north. Great views everywhere.
I wanted a better view of some of the peaks to the northeast that were partially blocked by knolls so went another mile or so farther to what appeared to be the largest knoll in sight. Here I had more great views of the same. I had lunch there and watched a pair of Peregrine Falcons (I think) soar over the valleys before disappearing into the distance against a background of Mount Shuksan glaciers. Great stuff.
08/25/03 Hiking Horseshoe Bend Trail(3 miles round trip):
Today is an off day so I can rest my legs for a harder hike tomorrow. I passed Horseshoe Bend Trail and since it was a short one decided to do it.
The trail follows the Nooksack River from the WA-542 bridge for 1.5 miles. Very pretty... jungle like setting with lots of moss dangling from the trees and lots of ferns. Nooksack River exists because of glacier runoff from Mount Baker and is class II-III, at least the section I hiked.
The first mile is very easy and ends at a small but nice waterfall with a high flow. From that point on the trail gets a little more rugged as it goes until I was wishing I had brought my walking stick Eventually the trail petered out and I turned back.
08/26/03 Hiking Goat Mountain Trail(8 miles round trip):
50's at the trailhead at 8am. Skies overcast with storm clouds over what I imagined was Goat Mountain. Of course I left my raincoat on the front seat. This trail goes up 3500 feet in 4 miles, about 900 feet per mile, a bit much for me. I had all day to get it done though.
I kept trudging uphill for 2.5 hours on fairly easy to moderate inclines through the forest. After climbing 2000 feet or so I got a couple of glimpses of white on black, probably the glacier on Mount Shuksan. Clouds and fog obscured most of the slopes and peaks across a valley.
A little higher and it started to sprinkle, then to drizzle. Temperatures dropped 10-15 degrees and I began to feel chilled. I climbed less than 500 feet more. I still had more than 1000 feet to go. I could see a couple of peaks or knolls, one of which must have been Goat Mountain. Fog and clouds were moving around and it began to rain a little harder when I turned back.
08/27/03 Hiking Tabletop Mountain Trail(3 miles round trip):
More clouds and fog this morning. I drove up FR-3065 to check out the Twin Lakes and Winchester Trailheads. 4.5 miles brought be to the Yellow Aster Trailhead. Beyond that the road proved to be unfit for anything but a 4WD. I think it's another 2 miles to the Twin Lakes Trailhead.
Things were quite foggy up there so I turned back. Of course by the time I got back to WA-542, the sun was trying to come out. I decided to go up to Artists Point. Even if things were cloudy up there, I might get some decent photos of clouds moving around Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan.
Both were fogged in up there but other peaks were visible with swirling clouds. I decided to hike up Tabletop Mountain to see how things looked from there. This is a 1.5 mile trail up 500 feet or so to the top of Tabletop.
I did get some nice photos but once on top I was quickly chilled, being without a jacket. Fog and clouds moved in and out while I was up there. I went all the way to the end and just got a quick glimpse of the Chain Lakes before a total gray-out moved in. I didn't see Mount Baker at all today and only had a couple of peeks at Mount Shuksan.
Check Engine light came on again after the hike so off I went to Bellingham again.
08/29/30 Hiking Yellow Aster Butte Trail(7 miles round trip):
Got a downstream oxygen sensor replaced the very first thing this morning and was on the road to Mount Baker by 8am and got to the trailhead at 3600 feet by 10am.
Picked up 1600-1700 feet in the first 1.5 miles. At that point the Yellow Aster Butte and Tomyhoi Trails split and the Yellow Butte Trail levels off for a while. Mount Baker remains in view much of the next mile and if you look back over your left shoulder you can see Mount Shuksan.
At the base of Yellow Aster Butte you can see several glacial ponds and trails leading off to the next buttes. If I had gotten an earlier start I might have wandered off in that direction. Instead I started the steep, 700 foot climb to the top of the butte at 6200 feet. Here I got another view of the Border Peaks on the Canadian border in addition to Mount Baker and Shuksan and their peaks to the south.
I relaxed and enjoyed the views for a while including a pair of hawks or falcons soaring around and chasing each other. Fall is settling in at these altitudes. Lots of blueberries with their leaves turning red.
On the way back down I passed a lot of backpackers coming up to spend the long Labor Day weekend.
08/30/03 Hiking Ptarmigan Ridge Trail(12 miles round trip):
Today was supposed to be an off day but it looked so nice when I got up I selected Ptarmigan Ridge to hike. I didn't get up to Artists Point until 9am and by that time people were pouring in to get out on the trails, this Saturday, the first day of the Labor Day weekend.
I started up the trailhead with a couple of guys from Vancouver. They had to come down here to hike because their parks are closed because of all the wildfires. They soon outdistanced me and I had the trail to myself for awhile.
The first mile is along the side of a steep, rocky slope and then forks, the right branches off to the Chain of Lakes while Ptarmigan Ridge is to the left.
Towards the end of the first mile I had to cross a wide glacier that sloped steeply, downward. A misstep would result in a 200 yard slide down to the edge of the glacier. You probably wouldn't get hurt (much) but you'd have a long climb back up to the trail.
Mount Shuksan had been present over my left shoulder as I watched Mount Baker in front of me. Heavy haze and the sun's position made Shuksan somewhat difficult to see. At the top of a ridge, Mount Baker really appeared in all its glory. Another mile brought me to another ridge and even better and closer views of Mount Baker.
Another mile and a couple more glacier crossings took me up a couple of small ridges where I had lunch 1/2 mile from the base of Mount Baker. I didn't know where the trail went from here but while having lunch, several people went by. I watched them climb 400-500 feet over this big rocky hump. The far edge of the hump seemed to be the edge of the trail for I could see little stubby trees (people) moving about for some time. Unfortunately, my legs don't go uphill after a lunch break. I'll really have something to look forward to because the hump ends right at the base of Mount Baker.
On the way back several of us watched 12-15 mountain goats on a distant glacier. They were too far away for a picture but binoculars brought them a little closer. After 20 minutes they worked their way down to the bottom of the glacier and disappeared.
Back at the first ridge I found a group of people watching 3 more mountain goats graze just off a snow pack. These were a lot closer and I got one picture where if you try real hard, you can see the goats.
This is definitely a do again trail and only gains 1400 feet in elevation.
09/01/03 Hiking Ptarmigan Ridge Trail(again):
I woke up this morning without any doubt about where I would hike. Yesterday was a rest day and today I was raring to go. Got to the first ridge in 1.5 hours. Walked past it and there were 6 mountain goats resting .25 miles away.
Met a backpacker coming down from over nighting and while talking to him I spotted a mom and a kid out on one of the snow patches. The skies were much clearer than in recent days with little haze nearby. Mount Baker shown in all its glory and Mount Shuksan was as clear as I'd seen it.
I finished the 6 mile, 1400 foot trail in about 3 hours. When I got to the rocky hump right in front of Mount Baker I had spectacular views in every direction. I could even see Glacier Peak and Mount Rainier off in the distance poking up through distant haze.