Here is another shot from that hike up Winchester Mountain. These are the Twin Lakes. From the top of Winchester they look like a pair of sunglasses. My car is parked in the lot between those two lakes.
22
Jan
2018
hiking
04
Dec
2017
Joe’s Photo of the Week – Back Trail Waterfall
Guess what time it is…
Its Joe’s Photo of the Week time!
Yeah!
And this time I have a wonderful shot for you from the first time I hiked Heliotrope Ridge. After the first major creek crossing, the trail goes up and up steeply for a ways, following the creek you just crossed upstream. After a bit you come across this view:
30
Nov
2017
Hiking Winchester Mountain
A month or so ago I tried out a new hike in the area.
Winchester Mountain
This was about a 2 mile out a back trail that takes you up to the peak of Winchester Mountain. On this peak sits an old, refurbished, fire lookout.
The trail itself isn’t too difficult. It’s all up, but it’s not overly steep. Really, the hardest part about this trail is getting to the trail head.
The Drive
It lies at the very end of a 7 mile one lane forest road. And the last 2 miles are not maintained. I made it up in my front wheel drive semi-high clearance vehicle, but I would not suggest it in anything lower. Also, I would not dare attempt the drive if it were raining or if there were snow on the road. I had no trouble in the conditions I drove in, but there was one point when I approached a wash-out where I seriously began to question my choices that morning. With a little momentum I made it over that last hump, and just around a turn were the Twin Lakes and the parking lot at the trail-head.
The drive is pretty, but also avoid it if you are afraid of heights. It is a one lane road that runs along side of a very steep hill with no guard rail and then there are steep switchbacks. (I loved it!)
The Hike
The hike starts between the two Twin Lakes and quickly starts to climb and snake back and forth across the face of Winchester Mountain. All along the way you are treated to amazing vistas of massive forested valleys and picturesque views of Mount Baker in the distance.
There is one section that is fairly precarious though. The trail gets ultra thin as it crosses a steep face of loose mountain scree. It then goes up a steep chunk of orange stone up to a small ridge connecting the main mountain to a smaller peak.
Than you climb up the remainder of the trip around the back side of the mountain. Here you are treated to huge views of the valley between Mount Larrabee and Tomyhoi Mountain. Lake Tomyhoi sits at the bottom. Also, even late in the season, snow still waits in the shadowed north face of the mountain.
Once at the top, bask in your accomplishment and enjoy the even better views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Also, be sure to check out the fire lookout, but be respectful of anyone that may be using it to camp for the night.
Trail-head
Parking lot just after starting the trail
Trail side berries
Morning sun through the wet branches
Trail Continues up
Mt Baker in the distance
Valley to the East
Mountains to the south
Tomyhoi Lake and valley
Panorama: Tomyhoi Mountain, Mt Larrabee, American Border Peak
Twin Lakes
Precarious Trail
Mt Larrabee, Pleadies, and American Border Peak from the top of Winchester Mountain
Me on the top of Winchester Mountain with Mt Baker in the background
Adventure Toilet!
Mt Larrabee and Friends again
Fire lookout and moutains
Fun hiking party at the top of Winchester Mountain
A very happy hiking pup
One of those dots down there is my car
Something left behind.
Fuzzed goat mountain
Fuzzed mountains to the East
Very wet blossom
Fern
The alpine ground cover
19
Oct
2017
Hiking the Heliotrope Ridge Trail
A Hike up for Glacial Views
Hiking the Heliotrope Ridge Trail in the North Cascades.
As an Okie, seeing a glacier was not something I was likely to see without traveling very very far. Even seeing substantial mountains in Oklahoma was not a real possibility. There were the Wichita Mountains down near Lawton but they were just a patch of high piles of granite boulders. All of it surrounded by plains which teeter on the edge of desert. It is beautiful out there. There are buffalo, and the rugged terrain is a welcome site in comparison to the forever rolling highways edged with billboard after billboard.
The Wichita’s are the best place to hike in that part of the country. But they do not compare in majesty to the North Cascades of NW Washington. Some call them the ‘American Alps’.
Recently I moved out of Oklahoma and up to Bellingham, WA. This is only 30 minutes South of the Canadian border. One of the best perks of living here is the easy access to outdoor adventure.
BHam (as the locals call it) is right on the shore of the Salish Sea. The beaches are less sandy and more rocky here, but the views out the San Juan Islands are amazing.
But to the west are the Cascade Mountains. The volcano, Mount Baker, is in view from everywhere. But it is about 40 miles away. As are all of the awesome trails that meander the sides of the volcano and the landscape surrounding it.
The Hike
The first hike I tried out in the Cascades is Heliotrope Ridge. This hike gets you up close and personal to Mount Baker and a couple of the glaciers anchored to it’s side. Trail is 2.5 miles one way. Almost all up hill. 1800 feet of elevation gain. (according to Dayhiking the North Cascades by Craig Romano)
During this first hike I came across a WTA (Washington Trails Association) volunteer work crew. They are a local organization that helps to maintain the trails. They were out there digging drainage trenches and placing stones and logs to help in the steeper parts. I have great respect for all of volunteers who do this.
I’m not in the best shape, so the first third of the trail is a grueling up hill trudge for me. But after a while you get to a point that you decide you’ve gone too far, and that you might as well just finish. It is then that the trail levels off a bit for quite a while.
There are also a few creek crossings to beware of. The first is an easy stone hop across. The second is not as easy, but there were a couple logs laying over the top. The third isn’t too bad. But the last one is a doozy.
Both times I’ve gone out on this trail I’ve been stopped at this last crossing. The first time I could’ve gone across bare foot and dried off on the other side, but I was already too tired. The second time I came prepared with water proof socks and water shoes to change into. But the weather was substantially warmer, and the glacier above was melting fast enough to make the creek a danger to cross.
Note: Always remember that during the days the temperature will rise causing more glacier melt, which then causes the creeks to rise. Your trip back over the creeks will be more difficult.
So instead I backtracked a bit on the trail and went up the summit route for a view of the glaciers. This route is used by those summiting Mt. Baker and is very steep. But you only have to go up a short distance to get above the tree line and see the Coleman and Roosevelt Glaciers.
Most of the hike you are surrounded by large trees. These trees put Oklahoma trees to shame. They tower above seemingly forever. Occasionally the trees clear out giving you vistas of the surrounding Cascade Mountains and the meandering valleys between. While approaching the last creek, Mt Baker makes itself known and stands tall above the meadows that now surround you as you approach the tree line.
Photos
Mt Baker and Glaciers. Taken from the Heliotrope Ridge Trail
Conclusion
I love this hike. It is beautiful from beginning to end, with the rolling glacial creeks, the giant trees, and the grand vistas over the valleys radiating from Mt. Baker. I’m a bit biased towards this hike since it was my first North Cascades hike, but I do highly recommend it if you get the chance.
Here’s a little video I put together of my hike here
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11
Sep
2017
PNW Photo of the Week – Raptor Ridge Trail
From here in Bellingham I have access to a lot of amazing hiking trails. Just over an hour east and there are trails crawling over the North Cascades surrounding Mt. Baker. But there are also trails right here in and around the city of Bellingham.
A large system of trails called North Chuckanut Trail System borders the south edge of town. These trails traverse through a patchwork of state parks, city parks, and forest lands. Some of the biggest portions are in Larrabee State Park and Arroyo Park.
Awhile back I tried out a large loop leading up to Raptor Ridge. This is 8ish mile round trip takes you up to some of the highest elevation in the Chuckanut mountains.
How To Get There!
Here is a great description of the hike: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/raptor-ridge-chuckanut-mountain
Unlike that description I started from the North Chuckanut Trailhead. Instead of turning onto Old Samish Way, just keep going straight on Chuckanut drive for a tiny bit and you’ll see a sign and parking lot on the left for the trail head. You’ll just hike north on the Interurban trail until you get to a marker in the Arroyo park area leading you up the Hemlock Trail. Then, the hike is uphill for a good 3 miles at least.
This image is taken on the Raptor Ridge Trail only a little bit after turning off the Hemlock trail. This section is horse free, as it is very narrow and winds through some large rocks.
After checking out the overlook I continued down the Raptor Ridge trail to the Lost Lake Trail and took that back North to where I started.
I’m not in the best shape, so this 8 mile hike was a doozy for me. But it was worth it. The Raptor Ridge Trail running from the Hemlock to the Lost Lake trail was beautiful. There are massive trees, plush ferns, and blankets of moss everywhere.
