J and I had a great trip to Washington state. I think we both decided that if we had to choose a state to live in in the summer this one is TOPS. The Puget Sound (more pics of that later), and the Cascade mountain range were unforgettable memories with their snow-capped mountains and teal lakes. Mt. Ranier was more spectacular than I thought at sunset and sunrise (we camped up there next to it to see both). More on that later. Olympic National Park was so unique in that it had the rocky peninsula and all the cool bays I remembered from Northern Cali, but yet had the sandy beach with caves/rocks/cliffs that reminded me of Hawaii (more pics on this in another post). Mt. St. Helens was really cool in that I learned quite a bit about how it is rebuilding itself.
This hike in this blog was one of our favorites of the week! Not EASY, but rewarding.
 |
| Besides Ranier, Mount Baker is the most heavily glaciated of the Cascade Range volcanoes. The volume of snow and ice on Mount Baker,
is greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes (except
Rainier) combined. It is also one of the snowiest places in the world!! |
 |
| http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/heliotrope-ridge ...this is their remarks about our hike this day! : | Sit here in awe, gazing at the icy intricacies of the glacier. Rippled
crevasses. Blue pools. Frozen portals. Be sure to look out at the alpine
world around you too: Bastile Ridge just across the glacier, Golden
Ears Mountain just across the border. And if you're wondering just what
the heck a heliotrope is-it's a flower, one not native to the area. But
early surveyors thought the native valerians looked awfully close.
|
 |
| Mama Marmot and her two little babies had a really nice home up there under some rocks. |
 |
| Not gonna lie these extra warnings really scared me, but we were not glissading. |
 |
| From Hiker.com: Intimate ice is what this hike is all about. Follow a well-trodden path
to the scoured world of the Coleman Glacier, the largest of Baker's
dozen-plus glaciers. From along a steep heap of lateral moraine, stare
down into a cavernous abyss of ice and compacted snow. Locate blue
grottos in the crevasses of Baker's frozen icing. Come in July for the
lilies, September for the berries, October for the quiet, but don't try
this hike early in the season. The creeks are unbridged and are
difficult enough to negotiate in dry periods. Yes, it was. |
 |
| The power of glacier run-off. This steel bridge was at least 200 yards from where it should be and all the trees below were snapped like twigs from powerful water. |
 |
- Heliotrope Ridge Hike
- North Cascades -- Mount Baker Highway
- Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest - Glacier Public Service Center
-
Statistics
| Roundtrip |
5.5 miles |
| Elevation Gain |
1400 ft |
| Highest Point |
5100 ft |
|
 |
| meadows and snow atop |
 |
| A real Glacier...the kind scientist study ...it was super neat..blue and teal. |
 |
| Mt. Baker (about 11K feet) is just beside me. |
 |
| A look at the Glacier. |
 |
| folks sledding |
 |
| Melting snow |
 |
| The Bathrooms |
No comments:
Post a Comment