So happy to be able to write a trip report for our successful summit of Mt. Baker!

Five of us headed up the Heliotrope Ridge trail to the Coleman Camp around 4:30pm on Friday afternoon. This was all our first attempt of Baker, and the first time climbing roped up for three of us. The Heliotrope trail is in great shape - no bugs, and crowds were minimal (not the case Saturday - more on that later). Just past the junction where the climbers' path heads straight up, stunning vistas dotted with a rainbow of wildflowers provided a treat as we made our way to camp. We grabbed a spot around 6:00pm, settled in, and went to sleep just after sunrise around 9:00pm.

We set alarms for 1:45am, and began our slog around 2:30am. The route was relatively straightforward, and a nice bootpath existed to aide as well. Crevasse navigation was easily manageable. We took it slow and reached the Roman Headwall just before 6:00am, where we felt it was safe to unrope - a deep trench-like path goes up all the way to the summit crater, where any fall would be contained within that trench, minimizing any risk/injury. We reached summit at 8:00am - to warm temperatures, clear blue skies, and absolutely no wind. 

Our stoke quickly ran out during the painstakingly arduous descent - snow was beginning to soften, so each step often involved a little slide. Extra caution had to be used on the steeper slopes, making the descent take almost as long as the ascent. We reached camp around noon.

From there, the Heliotrope Ridge trail was a nightmare. It was crowded beyond belief, with many dayhikers choosing to continue up the climbers path to enjoy the wildflower-lined trail and higher elevation views. Bugs also made the trek miserable - swarms were relentless from one end of the trail to the other. I really wished I had brought my deet. We hit the car again at 2:00pm.

We're all excited to have summited - just two more Washington volcanoes left to check off my list!

First off, thanks to the army of WTA volunteers who were working on the improving the muddy, and in one spot washed out, trail on Friday!  Just a note, since we climbed the mountain we cut off the trail at the split to the climber's route, so we did not cross the final, and usually the biggest flowing creek (Heliotrope).  As we headed up towards Hogsback camp, we could see the Ridge, so we wanted to include it in this report.  The wildflowers are absolutely spectacular right now, and with the backdrop of the moraine and the Coleman and Roosevelt glaciers so close, there's really nothing quite like it.  The trail itself poses some challenges, but there were plenty of people, young and old, who seemed to be managing just fine, and plenty of folks with dogs too.  Maybe it's an up north thing, but it was refreshing to see nearly every dog on a leash, in contrast with so many other popular trails.  The trail is muddy, so boots are a good call, and the creek crossings can be a bit challenging - poles or a good walking stick may help.  For a pretty moderate hike, a great payoff right now with the views!  Also, going up the climber's route can provide some  different views of the mountain and more lush meadows - it's definitely steeper but it's snow free up to Hogsback camp.

Hogsback camp has fantastic camping spots for those that arrive early enough, and plenty of running water.  Just be prepared to have the local mice trying to join you in the tent after nightfall.  After learning a hard lesson last year, by keeping all food, remnants of food, and trash completely sealed at least none gnawed through the tent this time - they just poked around and scurried over the tent.  The rain and wind that started Thursday hung around longer than forecast, so Saturday morning brought wind and rain in plentiful quantity.  Of the 20 or 25 groups camped on the mountain, many didn't even attempt the summit.  We started a bit later, hoping conditions would improve (4:30 am).  As we headed up the glacier, several parties passed us coming down - rain and wind had turned them back.......

The Coleman Glacier is really breaking up - lots of crevasses.  Enough where tracks would go straight up to a crevasse at times.  What had been a crossable crevasse (by just stepping over) a week ago, or a days ago, now wasn't passable, so we had to do some navigation at times to go around.  Luckily these end runs were short and we were easily able to pick up the main boot track heading up.  It was a shame to be in the shadows of the beautiful Black Buttes and Colfax Peak and unable to enjoy them due to the horrible visibility.  The only evidence they were even there was the rockfall and icefall we passed through approaching the Pumice Ridge.  The ridge is completely snow free and easy to navigate.

The crux of the climb is the Roman Headwall, which is by far the steepest part of the climb, right below the flat top of the summit.  Unfortunately for us, the rain and wind really picked up at this point.  We passed a guided party at the foot of the headwall, and at this point were pretty sure we were the only ones up this high, at least on this side of the mountain.  Being completely drenched and wanting to get off the mountain as quickly as possible gave us some extra motivation to move fast up the final thousand feet and we found ourselves on the summit in 30-35 mile per hour sustained winds and sideways rain.  The wind also was picking up snow and ice and any exposed portion of skin got peppered with these hard little pellets.  We wandered the crater for a few minutes, saw no other people, and beat a hasty retreat off the mountain.  

Only the relative warmness of the air allowed us to summit in such horrible wet conditions.  Although drenched from head to tow, the water warmed up when reaching our skin - almost wet suit-like, so while drenched it wasn't that cold.  It felt rewarding to be able to manage to summit in difficult conditions, but sure missed the views that we know are there.  One of many reasons to come back to this beautiful part of the state.  

Went up Mt. Baker with Alpine Ascents guides. Group of 11 of us. Went up from Schreiber's Meadow via Scott Paul trail until the snow, which started solidly at about 4500 ft. Camped at 6500 ft. Ice axes, crampons, harness, roped up, whole deal. Started ascending on summit day at 8:30am and made it to the summit (10,770 ft according to GPS) at 1:30pm. Peering over into the crater at 10,200 ft was amazing! Snow was soft due to warm weather so slushy on the way down. We saw a snowmobile crashed at the bottom of a crevasse around 8500 feet. Back to camp around 4:50p, and then hiked back out the following day. Alpine Ascents was great and I would recommend their 3-day Baker trip!