A new view of Mt. Baker

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Mt. Baker, the volcanic peak visible from our home (see an earlier blog for a photo) maintains a strong allure to people from our community. I've climbed it twice and hiked to the base camp at the foot of the Coleman Glacier (top of the "Hog's Back") many times. It's a beautiful hike!

This year we waited until late in the season because the road in was being repaired. Several of Joy's friends had wanted to do the hike, but in the end, due to a car crash, only Joy, Tamera and I went yesterday. So late in the season, and without new snow, the glacier was quite depleted, and where the climb up the Coleman Glacier starts the summit route, there was only bare rock. But it was a great day for hiking, the views awesome and the summit, as always "right there," appearing as though we could just go a little further and we'd be there. Actually it's another 4700 vertical ft. and 6 or 7 hours' hike from there.

On the way down, though, we took a side trip to the glacier overlook, a short 15-minute diversion that I'd never done before. What a shame! The sight of the tortured glacial mass was amazing! Ice climbers were practicing on the vertical walls and knife edges, and we took some great photos of both the ice, as well as some spectacular waterfalls coming down from higher on Grant peak, Baker's main summit. It was a great day of hiking, and I'd encourage everyone to do both the Hog's back and the glacier overlook. Enjoy the photos!

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