Mt. Baker

Last weekend I climbed Mt. Baker with Alpine Ascents. We met at Schreiber's Meadow on the south side of the mountain on Friday morning, gear loaded and ready to go. Those backpacks which seemed so much lighter than expected when we showed up became a lot heavier when we added in all the group gear! Sigh. The trail to base camp is very mild. The last portion of it is on a steep snow field but given that most of us had done Rainier in years prior, it seemed paltry compared to the long slog up to Camp Muir. The trail was stunning and given the far fewer numbers of people than on Mt. Rainier at this time of the year, it was far more enjoyable. Here are some photos of the trail up to base camp.

The alpine wildflowers are stunning. This is lupine.

The view to the summit.

We saddled the guides with all the rope to slow them down!

We camped on some rocky outcroppings which afforded a fantastic view but also put us right in the midst of the nightly thunderstorms. This made for some interesting sleeping weather. The mountain storms were impressive as was the lightning. I informed my trusty tent mates, Dave and Marty from BC, that I willed them all my gear if I were to be struck by lightning. They promptly informed me that if I were struck by lightning and killed, they would likely also be going with me. Then they told me in detail why and how. This is what happens when you have two electricians, two avionics technicians, one collision repair person, one nurse, one ER doctor and one electrical engineer on your trip! Here are photos of the storms that rolled in each night:

The clouds rolled in over the mountain each night.

Looking west towards the San Juans.

Our tent. Great view but a little exposed!

Amongst the clouds.

The ridge to the west of us.

The aftermath.

On Saturday, we had a training day in the morning so we could reacquaint ourselves with self-arrest, rope team travel, walking on glaciers and running belays. Although it only lasted a couple hours, the heat combined with walking up and down slopes over and over and maneuvering our bodies into unpracticed positions left us all tired and sore. We retreated back to camp for the afternoon. Our original plan had been to attempt a sunset summit, leaving camp at about 1500 hrs and summiting at sunset. We would then descend in the dark on firmer snow. However, those trusty thunderstorms began building in the afternoon and by evening, it was clear a sunset summit was not in the cards. Our heat wave here in the northwest made the thunderstorms every night a welcome sight with the wind and rain they brought but even I, as much as I love storms, was not ready to serve as a lightning rod, the highest point on the mountain with two metal poles in my hands.

So we decided for a standard alpine start instead. We went to bed at 1700 hrs and lay awake listening to thunder and being pelted by rain and wind. Our summit hopes were looking dubious at this point. At midnight, Dave, one of our guides, woke us from our light sleep and told us that while he wasn't hopeful, we would at least make an attempt on the summit. As it turned out, despite ferocious winds, we succeeded in summiting at about 0700 hrs. Everyone made it which is first for all my trips. We made a fast ascent and an impressively speedy descent. It was a great climb and I would definitely climb with Alpine Ascents again. They were professional, safe but laid back. Special thanks to our guides, Dave, Jim and Brent for their efforts. Here is a photographic journey to the summit:

A marmot waiting for us to leave camp so he can raid our food!

The trail to the summit. Steeper than it looks!

View from the summit at sunrise.

A crevasse near the summit.

Our reward in spite of the howling wind.

Looking down from the summit into the crater.

A great trip and the last of the major Washington summits on my list. My next entry will cover a climb of the Tacoma Narrows bridge. Less equipment, much closer to home, not on most people's summit list but one of the coolest climbs I've done!