Railroad Grade/Mount Baker, WA, 9.18.24
“I’ve been working on the railroad all the live-long day. I’ve been working on the railroad just to pass the time away”. - Trad.
Today I was planning to go with Greg Dilley and Cindy to pick blueberries and possibly hike to Lake Ann while we were at it. Due to unfortunate circumstances, they had to cancel their plans. I already had all my stuff laid out so I had a choice to sit around and watch soap operas all day or get out there and do something worthwhile. The Lake Ann trailhead is a long drive and blueberries can be found in any number of spots. Bridgit and I had been very successful on the trail to Park Butte. As I considered just picking blueberries and not even hiking, it occurred to me that I still had unfinished business in that area of Mount Baker.
That particular trailhead branches off into three separate hikes. One trail goes to the Park Butte Lookout. I had already been there twice - once with Bridgit and Andrew when he was about nine months old and the other time with Neighbor Greg and Cindy. Another trail is called the Scott Paul Trail which is a beautiful trail that wraps around from the south to the southeast side of Mount Baker just below the glaciers. I’d also done that trail twice. The third trail is called the Railroad Grade. This trail branches off from the Park Butte Lookout trail and leads to the lower end of a gigantic lateral moraine. From there you can follow the narrow spine up, up, up to a high climber’s camp which is the last stop before setting foot onto the Easton Glacier (if your plan is to climb Mount Baker). I had never done that hike so I was eager to head up there. I was especially looking forward to seeing the impressive Black Buttes from straight underneath them.
The weather was supposed to be mostly sunny but we have been surrounded by less than clear weather so I wanted to get an early start. I left home at 5:45AM and got to the trailhead at 7:45AM. Armed with a good sized Tupperware, I was on the lookout for blueberries and huckleberries, although I planned to do my picking on the way back down.
The trail starts out as a very gentle, smooth path through Shreiber’s Meadow. In about a mile I arrived at the crossing for Rocky Creek. Here I got my first good view of Mount Baker and the sky was a stunning shade of blue.
Mount Baker from near the Rocky Creek crossing
There are actually three branches of Rocky Creek to cross but only one had water flowing and there was a small bridge over the channel there. Once across, the trail steepens as it climbs through the forest. At roughly two miles I came to the junction with the Scott Paul Trail. Less than a half mile further, the trail broke out of the trees into a sea of blueberry meadows. A small sign designated the junction of the Park Butte Lookout Trail with the trail to the Railroad Grade. I climbed a hillside and at the top were several beautiful campsites with incredible views of Mount Baker, the Black Buttes and the Railroad Grade in the foreground.
The view from the first camps on the trail to the Railroad Grade
Zoom of the Black Buttes. The one on the left is called Lincoln Peak and this is the one I was hoping to view from right underneath it.
Zoom of one of the Black Buttes called Colfax Peak
Passing a few more campsites, the trail then drops a short way and then climbs up the side of the Railroad Grade to the top of the moraine. From this vantage point, I could look straight down into the canyon carved by long receded glaciers. This action created huge lateral moraines on both sides and a raging creek ran down the middle coming from the Easton Glacier high above.
Looking down from the Railroad Grade at the suspension bridge on the Scott Paul Trail
Looking down valley from the end of the Railroad Grade. You can see the Scott Paul suspension bridge on the lower left of the photo.
Sadly, by the time I got up onto the Railroad Grade, clouds had begun to thicken and for the remainder of my hike, Mount Baker and the Black Buttes were shrouded in fog. There was still considerable sun to the south and I had good views of not only the Park Butte Lookout, but also the Twin Sisters Range just to the southwest.
Park Butte Lookout south of Railroad Grade
The Twin Sisters Range
South Twin
North Twin
Now that I was up on the lower end of the Railroad Grade it was time to follow the grade up to where the rock ends and the ice begins. Hiking up the Railroad Grade is like starting at the end of the tail of a Brontosaurus and climbing up its back to the head. The trail follows the top of the spine and can be as narrow as two feet wide in most places. On the north side is a seriously steep dropoff of loose rock and dirt that plunges down to the creek. The south side isn’t a whole lot better but if I had to choose I’d fall to the south before falling north!
Looking up the Railroad Grade. I made it to just beyond the little tiny bump near the lower left of Colfax Peak.
Last view of the summit of Mount Baker before the clouds moved in
Climbing up the Grade wasn’t too hard. It would be intimidating if you have a fear of exposure but I never felt like I was in a precarious position. Slowly slogging up, up and up some more, I passed several high climber’s camps. This is one of the more popular routes to climb Mount Baker and there were some very nice established tent pads along the way. Higher and higher I went, despite the fact that by now it was so foggy the clouds started to drift across the spine of the grade. I was hoping it wouldn’t get so thick I couldn’t see anything but it never got that bad.
After attaining several humps on the spine of the Grade, I decided to call it a day when I reach the final hump just before the highest climber’s camp which is called Sandy Camp or High Camp. I could have walked just a tad further and actually touched the glacier but with the fog all around there was no point on proceeding any further. I stopped, had some lunch and hoped the clouds would break up. They didn’t.
Looking back along the Railroad Grade. I had started out way down where the trees were.
Looking ahead to the final hump
The final hump and the Easton Glacier
Almost there!
The snout of the Easton Glacier. I wondered how far down the valley it went a hundred years ago.
Blue ice in crevasses on the Easton Glacier
So far on this day, the only people I had seen were a group of five climbers that were coming down that I met at the junction with the Park Butte Trail. I had enjoyed my entire hike up the grade with nary a soul in sight. I guess the payoff for inclement weather is solitude. After a relaxing lunch I worked my way back down the Grade. I did start meeting more people as I got off the Grade and got closer to the main Park Butte Lookout Trail.
As I made my way down I got out my trusty Tupperware and started picking blueberries and huckleberries. Blueberries are tough to pick after a strenuous hike because they are so low to the ground. There were infinite numbers of them but I got bored after getting enough for a panful of blueberry muffins.
The route back down the Railroad Grade
Rocky Creek
Despite the foggy conditions, this was a great day. I think this one was about seven miles and 2,500’ of vertical gain. Mount Baker has so many wonderful hikes and I never tire of going back again and again.