Having visited Mt Ranier and Mt Olympus, it seemed only proper that I attempt a visit to Mt Baker, a nearby 10,781 foot sleeping volcano. Although Mt Baker is far less accessible than the other two, your intrepid explorer has faith in the capabilities of RosieVan. Baker is tucked into the northern Cascade Range and usually covered in clouds; it is hard to see... much less approach. It gets about 55 ft of snow every year, in fact the snow line in Cascades this week is 5500 ft, so that gives you an idea of what an approach on foot would entail. I opted for a solely photographic approach - spending time, off and on, for the last 8 days trying to get a decent picture of the elusive Mt Baker.
My first glimpse came from the ferry ramp at Mukilteo Lighthouse north of Seattle. Certainly, that was enough to make me want to see more.
After some grand Seattle adventures including China town, UW and the Museum of Pop Culture I packed up camp to move north to Bellingham, Washington to prepare for my Canadian adventures and visit North Cascades National Park. While in Bellingham I enjoyed all the local flavors. To my mind, Bellingham WA is just like Ithaca NY - a bright blue outpost in a sea of red. My exploration of the local scene wouldn't be complete without craft brews, live music and maybe even some tie dye.
From base camp in Bellingham, my first foray took me to the northwestern side of Baker to a snow-covered place called Heather Meadows (I presume it was named in a different season). It yielded many good pictures of Mount Shuksan (Mt Baker's neighbor) and a refresher course on ice driving with RosieVan.
My second attempt was based on advice from the local ranger, who suggested that I try to get a view from the southern exposure at the foot of Boulder Creek. The weather didn't agree with my plan. You can guess which two pictures from Boulder Creek are mine.
My third attempt was completely by surprise. On my way back from sightseeing on Vancouver Island, I caught a glimpse of Baker from the highway. After some chasing around, I got a couple of shots that seem to confirm there is a mountain out there and it's not just my imagination.
More about my Vancouver and Vancouver Island visits in a future posting.
In the meantime, I'm still on the lookout for a better view of Baker.
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