Volcano Gawking, Mt. Baker/Heliotrope Ridge, 9.20.12

The Cascade Range stretches from northern California to the Frasier River in southern British Columbia. While the bulk of the range was created by tectonic plate lift, there are various strato-volcanoes which include Mt. Lassen and Shasta in California and Mt. Bachelor, Jefferson, Broken Top, Theilson, Scott, McLoughlin and Hood in Oregon. Washington State has five volcanoes - Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, Glacier Peak and Mt. Baker. They all have their own distinct characteristics, not only from each other but also from the various faces and directions of approach.

We have spent a great deal of time on Mt. Baker. For car camping, there is no more beautiful place than Baker Lake. We have hiked up onto the mountain from the north, northeast and south. Yesterday, with a perfect weather forecast, Bridgit and I headed up to Heliotrope Ridge to check out the northwestern side of this incredible mountain.

Heliotrope Ridge is the way to the most popular climbing route for those with all the climbing gear and knowledge of glacier travel. Our goal was to get to the toe of the glaciers just to enjoy the scenery. We started out hiking up through cool forest past creeks and waterfalls to a junction at around the three mile point. To the left a trail led over to the Coleman Glacier Icefall overlook but we wanted more expansive views so we headed up the climber's route. Climbers are not too interested in making things easy. They just want the shortest way to get to the top so with no switchbacks we headed straight up a steep rib known as the Hogsback. As we left the timber for open ridge running, Mt. Baker and the glaciers all came into view. Lush green meadows filled with cascading creeks and waterfalls were all around us. As we rose higher the landscape changed to a wasteland of glacial debris. Scoured rock carved by ice was intersected by deep crevices with crystal streams gurgling through them. Small alpine tarns (ponds) dotted a moonscape of volcanic rock and moraines. We found several spots that had been leveled out and had rock rings built for wind protection that made up a rough climber's camp but on this day we had the entire place to ourselves.

Above the climber's camps was the glacier itself so Bridgit and I traversed across the mountain just below the glacier, up and down over steep moraines, across several stream cuts and over several permanent snowfields until we finally climbed to the top of a high grassy knoll between two major basins of the mountain. It was the perfect spot to stop, have lunch and relax. The temps were in the mid seventies, there were no bugs and the scenery was as good as it gets. We saw a lone mountain goat wandering in the basin below us where we had just come from and later in the day we observed three roped climbers descending from the summit through a maze of giant crevasses.

It was as perfect a day as anyone could possibly hope for. I love hiking in September. Let's hope the weather stays this way a while longer!