Up to Artist Ridge

Click here to go straight to the pictures (weenie)

First, a couple of pictures showing Whatcom Falls, which is still running very high (the flood gates are still open I believe).

Now, on to today - which was a perfect day for snow-shoeing...the only complaints being 1) I over-dressed (it was HOT - like 60+ in the sun) and 2) since there was no new snow, it was very icy.

We started off thinking we'd just bum around for an hour or two but once we fought through the crowds and got our gear on, it was just to darn nice to stop...so we made it all the way up to Artist Ridge.  The weather was amazing - we saw many skiers and snow-boarders in t-shirts and a few even in shorts.  It took us both about 100' to shed some layers of our own; no gloves, hat or jacket needed.  (For you weather geeks, it's called an inversion layer which simply means it's colder at low elevations and hotter at high elevations; which is why it was still icy at our house when we got back, and much colder).The views were as amazing as ever.  Literally, there was not a single cloud anywhere to be seen.  The highlight for Julie was feeding the birds up at the top; the camp-robbers always seem like they haven't eaten in a long time.

The drive up was interesting too as we saw first-hand some of the destruction the recent floods have caused.  It was very frightening in a way to see how much damage was done just off of the Mt. Baker Highway; as the mud line came way up in a few spots.  The crew was repairing the damage; all of it caused by what, at the moment, is an ankle deep creek about 5' wide.  I could jump across it at its current level.

All in all, a great day spent.  Don't forget to check out the rest of the photos.

Another Bear: & Fall Colors up at Mt. Baker

Click here for all the pictures:

I've made it up to Baker the last two days to check out the Fall colors. The leaves are beautiful everywhere right now; including up there. There are lots of blueberries still hanging on, but most are looking more like raisins these days. Also, there has already been a couple of snows and some freezing weather. Still, lots of great colors. Enjoy.

Heliotrope Ridge - Amazing.

See all the pictures here:

Went on another hike yesterday, to Heliotrope Ridge. The hike takes you all the way to the edge of the Coleman Glacier, which leads right up to the summit of Baker. It was a cloudy morning and the time we spent at the glacier overlook was foggy and cloudy. The glacier is AMAZING - you are literally right on top of it. There were a bunch of guys practicing there skills in the crevasses; ice axe, crampons, ropes, the whole bit. It looked very unsettling and dangerous...being on the glacier, that is. It was also awe-inspiring; reminded me of Superman's home. However, we decided to backtrack 1/2 a mile and take a turn up the climbers route; this is the route that those who wish to summit Baker take.

The climbers route added another couple of miles, and another 1000' of elevation gain, but as you can see, it was worth it, as the clouds finally gave way to some sunshine. My two companions, Julie, and my sister-in-law Nicki, did great on this hike as they made it up almost all the way. The last little bit got really hairy so I left them below and climbed up to the 1st camp. From what I can tell, there are two camps you can make on your summit bid; this lower camp which is at the 6000' level, and a higher camp much higher up. There were a bunch of guys setting up tents to make there early morning summit bid. I have to confess, there was a big part of my heart that wanted to join them...that may be coming one day.

Before we made our way down, Julie thought it would be fun to shrink me to miniature size. Thankfully, she didn't leave me in that state.

Two Great Hikes

See all the pictures here;
First, two reminders: 1) you can click on any picture to see it bigger, 2) when you click on any picture it will take you to the album where you can see all the pictures from this album. Or you can just click here to go to the album.

Julie and I spent our labor day weekend up in the mountains. Hike #1 was to Table Mountain. We left Sunday at 3:45 PM with the idea of catching a sunset up on the top of Table Mountain, from which you have an amazing view (and yes, Table Mtn. is the same place I recently built a memorial for my Mom). Problem was, the weather didn't quite cooperate. As the weather forecasters promised, it was unseasonably cold, windy, drizzly and very cloudy. It was fun in a way, being up there in the clouds as they whipped by; but it was cold and the mountains were hidden the whole time we were up there. Still, as we made it back to the car at 8:00, some of the clouds around the parking area revealed a setting sun...it was beautiful.

Hike #2 was to Skyline Divide. This hike is 3.5 miles to a beautiful wildflower meadow at 5900 feet. After we got to the meadow we laid out in the sun, er, uh, fog/clouds for awhile; and then decided to continue on to a nearby summit. The trek to the summit was worth it (summit at about 6500 feet) as we got away from all the other hikers, and there were many, and found some peace and quiet on top of a mountain. Mt. Baker made some "peek-a-boo" views through the clouds, fog and mist. Still, as you can see from the pictures, this hike was much more pleasant as the sun did come out a bit to keep us warm.


Some highlights from the hikes: the amazing wildflowers, the sunset on Sunday, and this really cool fossil that Julie found. The fossil appears to be a clam or some kind of shellfish - and yes, this was at about 6000-6100' up. The ranger station confirms that these fossils can be found...I don't know how Julie found it. Amazing. Click on the picture to see it a bit larger.



Also, check out these two: what a difference a day makes, eh? Click here to see the whole album.

more bear photos?

Want to see more bear pics? Click here.

Close Encounters...Bear!

Julie and I took some friends of ours up to Mt Baker on Sunday and wouldn't you know it, on the way down Julie sees some people pulled off to the side of the road and just as we were speeding by, she yelled "Bear!" So we put the car in reverse, backed up and spent about 45 minutes watching this Bear at extremely close range. For most of the time the Bear was about 30-60 feet away, but at one point we jumped back in the car and the Bear came within about 10-15 feet of our car. If you want to see a few more pictures, click on the image and it will take you to the album.

Another snowshoe

Went up with my brother-in-law, Matt today (and his dog, 'Captain Jack'). It was a great day...tons of fresh snow, a bit cloudy but the sun did break out at the end. Here's a few pictures from the day along with a slideshow of all of the best.

A Perfect Day

Julie and I ventured up into the mountains and needless to say, it was a perfect day. There was not a cloud in the sky as we snowshoed our way up to the top of Artist Ridge. It was Julie's first time up there and I was extremely proud to be with her as it is quite an intense hike/snowshoe; she was awesome. Besides enjoying the obvious incredible views we also had fun feeding the birds up at the top.

There are too many good pictures to put in a single blog so if you want to see the rest of them, you must go to my website here.

Table Mountain II

I enjoyed Table Mountain so much that I took Julie up there on Monday. Ran into a flock of Ptarmigan, (4 of them), and also a herd of Mountain Goats; besides the great views of Baker and Shuksan. The pictures, in order, are: Chain Lakes, some cool plant life living just below the surface of a small pool (you HAVE TO click on that picture), some cool pine-cones, Table Mountain, the Ptarmigan, and the Mountain Goats. Enjoy.

Table Mountain at last

So, one of the hikes I've been meaning to do for awhile but haven't is Table Mountain. It was a perfect day and a great hike. It was a bit crowded, as this is the first week that the road up to Artist Point has been open; but I managed to find my way to the lonely spots. It's only about 1 mile to the top and from there you can wander all over the place, which I did.






THERE ARE MORE PICS - can't put them all on the blog, but they're all on my website here.

I was also painfully aware of the word "preparedness." I ran into a couple of nice women along with their 11 year old son who fit the mold of "un-prepared." No packs, 1 water bottle, no food, one in tennis shoes and the son was wearing Crocs with no socks. Now to be sure, Table Mountain is not the most difficult hike, but it is alos not the easiest. It gets narrow in places and with most hikes around here, you are frequently only a couple of bad steps from a long fall. Well, to shorten the story, I helped them out and on my way down ran into the son who was already about 15 feet off the path, on an avalanche field, and slipping further. The two women (his mom and aunt) were nowhere to be seen (they were already down to the parking lot). The boy was looking scared and after we got him back up to the trail, I decided I better escort him down the rest of the way.

Me? I was planning on a 3-4 hour, 4-5 mile hike. I had a big breakfast, packed 5 energy bars, two water bottles, a first aid kit and an "essentials" pack (with more food, water purification, and the other 12-15 essentials). And I had wished I'd brought my trekking poles. Live and learn!

Goat Mountain

Julie and I did this hike in the late spring of 2006. It was our first hike, ever in the Mt. Baker area and almost our last. The problem? Well, the source I looked it showed a hike of just over 2 miles each way, for a total of 4 1/2 miles round trip. The hike actually turned out to be 3 1/2 miles each way, for a total of 7. Then, once you get to the top, you have the option of continuing up even higher (which we didn't do). Also, it was early in the season, but was a hot day. We ran out of water, ran out of food, and I cramped up on the way down. However, obviously, we made it home fine.

As for the hike: the first 75% is rough. Nothing but switchbacks through the forest with no views. However, once you break out of the forest, it was amazing! We almost didn't go up the last 1/8 mile which would have been a huge mistake. Once you get up to the top, you have a 270 degree panorama. Another option is to camp here, and then continue to the summit. However, if you're not up for that, just making to this point is worth the trip.

Artist Point

Another trip up to Artist Point, with my brother and sister! It was a great day and a fun trip for sure! The only down side? Baker was hidden in the clouds. Click here if you want to see more pictures from this trip!

Back up to the mountains

My wife and I made it back up into the mountains today. The views were spectacular! As you can see, there is still plenty of snow up there...although we were both surprised at how much has melted about 3000' and lower. Still, I'd be that there is no place more scenic and spectacular in WA state that you can literally drive to. It was warm and sunny: sunny enough to give me a little burn, and warm enough that we could have been in shorts and t-shirts if we had them. If you live anywhere within 150 miles of Mt. Baker, you owe it to yourself to get out! Hwy 542 west until it ends!

Longing to get back out...

Looking for some new snow pictures or Mt. Baker pictures? Alas, I have not been out photographing for quite awhile and yes, I’m dying to get back out there. Rest assured, this picture, taken on my last trip out, will not be the last this year. My wife and I are hoping to get back out the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned...

Latest snow-shoe

So, my brother comes up to see the beauty of Bellingham...and? We get dumped on! Yes, great snow, lots of powder, but no views. Here's a few pictures...

The first picture of the car was taken on Monday and shows the conditions...very deep powder, snowing hard the whole time.

Today, Wednesday we went to the "Salmon Park Sno-Park" and did some snow-shoeing. The trails here are great except for one thing: no views. Yes, there are views of trees and the river, but our day started with an aborted trip to Artist Point. We got as far as those two red-signs warning of our imminent death should we continue. Yes, we could have gone on, but the conditions were bad, and avalanches were forecast. It was windy, snowy, and the trail up was un-groomed meaning we would have been sinking about 2 feet with each step. Surprising, since everywhere else around Whatcom County, the sun was shining. At any rate, that's the latest up here in the north!

Me with the camp robber

Here's a couple more cool pics...

More Fun in the Mountains...

Again, Mt. Shuksan was in full glory...however, since I have so many pictures of Shuksan, I thought I'd put some other pictures from today on this blog.

For some great pictures of Mt. Shuksan, click here or here.

Well, OK, I have to put this picture of Shuksan up too and yes, technically speaking the picture right above is a part of Shuksan.