Mount Baker's Snow

Time to blog about another great weekend. I think I'm getting a little redundant, however. Basically my life this summer has consisted of difficult working conditions with extremely long hours punctuated by spectacular road trips. I'd talk more about my working life, but HIPPA regulations and use of the company computer censor me.

Last weekend I went over to the Mount Baker wilderness area just east of Bellingham, WA. This was a favorite destination last year, and it proved to be just as beautiful this year. After eating at a nice Vietnamese restaurant in Bellingham, I went to my campsite and set up my tent in a thicket of fir trees. That night I was lulled to sleep by a gentle rain dripping from the evergreen boughs above.

The next day (after sleeping until my eyes refused to stay shut - about 12 hours) I drove up the Mount Baker highway to the Heather Meadows recreation area. Being that Mount Baker holds the world record for snowfall in a single year, even in a bad snow year like this last one, the entire top half (5,000 out of 10,000 feet) of the mountain is completely white. Consequently, there was still plenty of snow for me to slip and slide on in my hiking shoes.

So far this year, I've been able to touch snow somewhere each and every month. Ah, the small pleasures! Especially when it has been so hot in Omak. That night I drove down to Fairhaven on the northern Puget Sound and watched the sunset over islands belonging to Canada to the northwest. From mountaintop snow to salty air and seagulls all in one day - not a bad day at all.

Next morning I drove the very rough forest service road up to Twin Lakes (requiring low 4X4 at 5-10 mph almost the whole way). Then I hiked to the ranger lookout on top of Winchester Peak. The 360 degree views were stunning with Mount Baker dominating the south, seemingly infinite rows of snowcapped mountains to the east, the mountains of B.C. to the north, and through mountain passes to the west - Puget sound and the San Juan Islands.

Unfortunately, I've run out of unique ways to describe such beauty, and photos don't quite capture the moment. They only assist in allowing me to remember the sense of awe at the beauty of creation that would not allow me to hike back down until I had experienced enough euphoria to sustain me through another work week. I was compelled to sing praise songs along with the bees as I made my way through wildflower meadows back down the trail to the cobalt blue twin lakes where my jeep was waiting.

The trip back to my work reality was through Canada (a little quicker than the North Cascades highway). I arrived in Omak around 2 AM - totally tired, yet totally happy.