With the gorgeous sunny weather, it was a perfect day to explore the south side of Mt. Baker. The unpaved forest roads 12 and 13 are almost pothole free. The TH parking was about 2/3 full at 8am with likely-minded hikers and campers. There was no snow left all the way to the wooden fire lookout and there was in place a wood plank bridge over the rushing Rocky Creek. Fresh trail improvement has been made with peeled poles and tamped soil so that the slope is more gradual. Some of the big steps may not be my cup of tea but I figure it would prevent erosion and be helpful for the other people and horses. Many thanks to the volunteer work parties! Wildflowers are blooming in the Moritz Meadow w/ Lupine, Fanleaf Cinquefoil, American Bistort, Mountain Daisy, Sitka Valarian, False Hellebore, Rosy Spirea, Arnica, Mountain Ash, etc. Once past the junction to the Railroad Grade trail, the landscape was dominated by Huckleberry and Mountain Heathers of Pink and White. Bees were busy hopping flowers but I did not detect any biting fly or mosquito. Before the final ascent to the lookout from its back side, there were a few tarns left that provide reflections of the Mt. Baker peaks as your photo op. They are to your left as the trail levels out from its climb and before it curves right. There was 360 degree view of Cascade peaks from the lookout displaying the fantastic summits of Mt. Baker, Shuksan, Glacier Peak, Rainier, and Twin Sisters. As ignorant as I am, I wish there were an illustration of "Cascade Peaks for Dummies" in the lookout for the roll call! Even as hikers are looking for mostly solitude while enjoying the scenery, a few of them did stop and carry a conversation with me. I appreciate that they shared their local knowledge, experiences, and love for nature and family with me! Dominating the skyline to the north, Mt. Baker could be seen puffing steams from its summit fumaroles - a gentle reminder that it is alive and fuming. Is it a beauty or a beast? Maybe both. There were numerous overnight campers in the lookout, Mazama Park, and Railroad Camp, with more on their way up in the afternoon. After reaching the knife-edged ridge on the Railroad Grade trail, I decided to turn back having checked out the U-shaped valley the greatly-receded Easton Glacier carved out in the past. On my way down, I sampled by the handful the abundant and sun-ripened Huckleberry by the trail in the Schriebers Meadow. It was a delicious and juicy treat on a warm and thirsty afternoon, and a memorable conclusion to a rewarding trip.

I headed up to the Park Butte Lookout first and the foot log across Rocky Creek is sweet!! Thanks! It wasn't there last year. I was surprised at the amount of snow still around although no problems for hiking or for the horses. The small tarns below the lookout still have snow and some ice. The glacier water pond that is off of the climbing route beyond Railroad Grade is all snow. Mt. Baker was of course gorgeous and so were the surrounding peaks especially with some snow still on them. I watched/heard several ice falls thunder down. It was quite windy but the breeze felt good with the heat. I returned via the Scott Paul Trail and this was my first time doing the entire trail and I loved it! I left the pup at home today as I knew there was no way she would cross the suspension bridge. The trail has great views and very diverse terrain.

Beautiful weekend for a little overnight hike. Glenn and I decided to dust off the backpacks annd take a short walk through the trees to see the stars. I had been to Park Butte years ago with a friend, but it was a drizzly day in late fall, so I doubted the existance of views. The only views we saw on that day were clouds and raindrops. This weekend was different. The sky was cobalt blue and the day was determined to be hot. The parking lot at the trailhead was full so we knew we'd have lots of friends to share the trail with. The trail starts with a gentle walk through stands of trees, meadows and peek-a-boo views of the peaks. There are scenic little ponds in some of the fields with wildflowers to boot. We saw mountain daisy, alpine lupine, two varieties of heather, bleeding hearts and hellebore. There should be more blooming in the next week or two - I saw buds on some plants that I did not recognize. (Take bug spray - those scenic little ponds are mosquito nurseries.) After the green and color of the first meadows the stark grey and impressive rock wash braided channels of Rock Creek come into view. Imagine this area in early spring when the snow first starts to melt!! The first crossing is a toe dampening hop. You then spend a few minutes in the creekbed itself as part of the trail. The water is shallow and should only dampen the soles of most boots. The final crossing of Rock Creek is a bit more challenging. We were prepared for a wade thanks to the last review we read on this site. But imagine our delight to find that the trail crews had been up before us and had placed a great little foot bridge over the rushing stream just a few feet to the right of the horse ford! Now what used to be a calf and foot numbing wade is a simple walk across a little bridge. The trail from the bridge back to the woods is gravel and sun-exposed. Be prepared with sunscreen and a hat. You make one more simple crossing of Rock Creek just before starting up. Fill your water bottles here if you need to - there's no reliable water until Schreiber's Meadow. After the last crossing of the creek, the trail starts to climb. The switchbacks were hot and dry with several sections of sunny exposure - carry lots of water. The trail crew have been working on mud sills and other improvements and judging from the equipment and posts they left there, will be back next weekend making more improvements. About 2/3 up the hill, there are little patches of snow (should be gone in the next week or so) and lots of snow melt running off the side of the hill. The trail across the little snow patchs is obvious and safe, and the trail crews have done a good job insuring the the trail stays dry after the snow is gone. After the hard work of the switchbacks, we had hoped to break out into the gentle climb of Schreiber's Meadow. The climb does become more gentle, but its all on snow. The entire meadow area is still under a foot or two of snow. There are lots of snow melt streams - some you can hear but not see. The route to the junction with Railroad Grade is boot-beaten but obvious. Stay in the general area of the tracks. I saw a few spots where hikers had broken through the snow and the hole was a foot or more deep down to running water. If you are a bit unsteady on soft snow or need a bit of help slogging up a snow field -carry trekking poles. I wish I'd had mine. You are in snow until you reach the ridge top and junction with Railroad Grade. A right turn takes you a few feet to scenic camp spots with mountain hemlock and alpine fir. These spots are cozy and well-maintained with tent platforms. Most of the 5 or 6 campsites are snuggled back in the trees, but one or two are more exposed. All have fantastic views. If you camp here, you'll share the area with climbers on their way to the top of Baker. Back at the junction, a left turn takes you to Park Butte. The trail was snow-covered the last mile. We arrived about 5 pm and decided to camp down the mountain in a little sheltered area in some trees. Pitched the tent in the snow. Don't plan on doing this after the snow is gone - the meadows are fragile. The next day, we debated on hiking Railroad Grade or up to the lookout. I didn't relish another mile or so of slogging in the soft snow, so we opted for Railroad Grade. The Railroad Grade trail is completely melted out and the steep left shoulder is covered with wildflowers. The right shoulder is a steep, rocky and final drop to the trough of the Easton Glacier. Those with kids and dogs should hold on tight to both. If you have a fear of high places or the wind is threatening to blow you off the mountain side, the views are just as good from the shelter of the last trees near the camp sites. If you are determined to see the sites from the lookout, turn left at the junction and follow the bootbeaten track down into a little bowl and then back up the other side. Stay on the trail, there is a snowmelt pond forming in the bowl - a slide into it would be a really cold bath. From the ridgetop, the trail looks completely covered in snow until the final ridge climb to the lookout. There were families with kids who made it to the lookout. Can't say that I saw any stars - I was asleep before the sky was dark enough, but the moon was full and beautiful. Glenn took some great pictures. We'll be back to camp again when the snow is gone.

As always, full version of this report, w/ more pics at my blog: http://dontlookdown.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/railroad-grade-via-park-butte-trail-071010/ And the photos at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/asmugglersbible/sets/72157624483013034/ I threw everything in the back of the Forester Friday morning before work, planning to pick Nicole up after work and head to the mountains. Earlier in the week, we’d decided to camp Friday night and hike on Saturday morning. It’d been a while since we’d been up near Mt. Baker, and I figured we’d be able to camp last-minute along Baker Lake somewhere, so I started looking into options. The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest website promisingly categorized the Park Butte Trail as “partially” open, going on to state that meadows were clear, snow was in the trees, and snowshoes were not necessary. Furthermore, I learned that there were hiker-only campsites at the trailhead. Sold. We made good time to the trailhead (I-5 -> WA-20 -> Baker Lake Highway -> FSR-13) and its large parking area. We set up our tent in one of the few single-night-only campsites set aside for hikers and drifted off to sleep early. Saturday morning we forced ourselves out of our sleeping bags certain we'd overslept, only to find that it was barely 06:00. We broke camp in the lazy way one can when one’s car is right there and then drove over to the trailhead, leaving the nearly-empty parking lot behind us at 07:11. For the first mile, the trail imperceptibly climbs through the green, snow-free Schriebers Meadow—the unripe huckleberries the only things colorless in sight. Soon, we entered trees and heard the sound of water; I knew the creek crossing was near. We splashed through the water running down the trail and came to the rushing Rocky Creek. I knew there was no bridge—I’d read it’d be a rock-hop or knee deep ford. Nicole did not know this. And so I really hoped we’d find some suitable rocks. At the horse ford and the site of the old bridge, we didn’t find anything promising. So I worked my way up along the creek, Nicole obviously displeased as she followed behind. The water was really moving, and it wasn’t looking like it’d be a hop, skip, or jump across. At one point, we took off our boots and socks, crossed one channel, and stood safely in the middle of the creek unable to continue. I decided that if we were going to keep hiking, we’d have to ford. I figured the safest place to do this would be back at the horse ford. So we put our boots back on and headed downstream. I couldn’t gauge the depth, but the crossing was narrow. Either because I’d already used up whatever logic I had or was simply too lazy to take off my boots and socks again, I had us put on gaiters and go straight across, boots and all. We were soaked instantly. Once across, we dried out as best we could and continued up the trail, which then began switchbacking through fine forest with occasional views S-SE to Glacier Peak. It wasn’t very long before snow covered the trail completely. We followed footsteps from ~4000’ upward, switchbacks unseen and unheeded. Our feet were not going to dry out with time, as I’d promised Nicole they would... It wasn’t long before we broke out of the trees to snowy Morovitz Meadows. The views were wonderful. Mt. Baker prominent, of course, but also the views of the Cascades from Hagan to Whitehorse. We continued through the meadows toward a stretch of dry land that I was certain was Railroad Grade. The Railroad Grade trail sits atop a steep glacial moraine left behind by the Easton Glacier. It's quite narrow, and there were a few places where we really concentrated on where we set down our feet. We found a place where the trail meandered a few feet from the edge, sat down, and watched the first marmots we’ve seen this year. After we had our fill of sandwiches and sunshine, we headed down, passing many small groups of climbers and a ginormous group from what I think was the North Cascades Institute. The creek crossing was a few inches higher—now well above the knees—but this time we went across barefoot. Groups stalked both sides of the creek seeking something else. We enjoyed the ford much more the second time; it was invigorating. We practically skipped the remaining mile to the trailhead, arriving at ~12:44. Okay, there was no skipping, but it was a beautiful morning in the mountains. This hike has a lot of bang for its buck, but like most popular trails, go early if you want it to yourself. I wouldn’t mind returning when the meadows are actually melted out... Stats: ~7 miles round-trip and ~1500’+ gain (topping out somewhere around 4800’). 5.5 hours from trailhead to trailhead. And a little sunburn.

Yet another sunny weekend day. This winter has been full of them. I have been to Park Butte Lookout a number of times but never in winter. Most winters the road is snow covered at least 5 or 6 miles before the summer trailhead. Add on 7 more miles round trip and it's just too far for short winter days. We had heard that the road was bare to within a few miles of the trailhead. Some snowmobiles were expected. I met Suzanne, David, and Barb in north Seattle at 7:00 am. We arrived at the intersection of Highway 20 and the Baker Lake Road only a few seconds after Elle, Bob, and Kolleen. We were following several trucks carrying snowmobiles up the road. We passed a few trucks parked along dirt road and kept going. After passing many more we reached a turn around. Trucks with trailers could not turn around beyond this point on the narrow road. The folks ahead of us turned around and started backing up the road. Half a mile later they were still backing up. It takes a lot of skill to back up with a trailer on a narrow road with cars and trucks parked continuously along it. Eventually he found a spot to park. We were barely able to turn around and both our cars found small spots to slip into. There must have been over 100 cars and trucks parked along the road. It took nearly an hour to navigate the last mile of road, park, and get ready to head out. It was already 10:00 am when we began moving. We started off on dirt but quickly found the end of the road and the start of thin groomed snow. It turns out a group called the Northwest Glacier Cruisers was having an annual get together. They represented a lot of the snowmobiles we saw. We had about 1 1/2 miles of road to walk and it went by very quickly. The groomed road continued around the trailhead but we went looking for the start of the summer trail. I hoped we would find snowshoe tracks all the way to the lookout. It was not to be. The bathrooms were open and just required climbing down off the snow. We took a few minutes to strip off some clothing. Some went to short sleeves. I ditched my first layer, zipped off my pant legs, and put on gaiters. It was warming quickly. We found the bridge over Sulphur Creek. The snow was just above the top of the hand rails. I hated walking along the narrow snow but we all crossed with no problems. A minute later we ran back into the groomed road. We followed the road for a while. We passed the NW Cruisers site next to the road in a meadow. It looked like they were having a good time. All we had to do was figure out where to leave the road. At first we almost headed up the wrong drainage but David pulled out his map and compass and we found our error. Bob and Kolleen had a GPS and it verified our position. The snowmobiles were heading up along Rocky Creek and then cutting over to Morovitz Meadow. The summer trail takes a much shorter and more direct route up through forest to the meadow. We chose to follow roughly on the summer route. It finally occurred to me that the big meadow the road was following was in fact the channels of Rocky Creek. It looked much different than without snow. We headed across the meadow towards the forested slope and quickly reached the main channel of the creek. Crossing required dropping down the bottom and finding a way up the other side. It was too deep and steep sided in most places but we found a spot where we could climb down. Barb found a spot to get up the other side and I found another. With a few fits and starts we all made it up. The creek itself was dry. The rest of the channels were buried under snow and we walked right across. The snow in the sunny meadow was soft and I was post holing nearly every step. When we reached the forested slope the shaded snow was much firmer. We headed up still without snowshoes. I think we were pretty close to the summer trail. The only difference is that instead of gentle switchbacks we went directly up the hillside. It was never overly steep though never gentle either. In a few places we saw blazes and what appeared to be the trail. When we hit an open sunny spot the snow softened considerably. It was already 11:45 and we stopped for lunch. We also put on snowshoes. From there it was not long until we broke out into Morovitz Meadow. Now we could see most of Mt. Baker and it seemed to be close enough to touch. I have been to the lookout a number of times but only in summer or fall. The south side of Baker has always been glaciers and rock. This time it was just white snow from top to bottom. There was nobody in site. Just us and 900 snowmobile tracks, more or less. Looking over to Mt. Baker we could see a track leading right up to the summit. It was a snowmobile super highway. Little black dots could be seen all along it. We climbed up the sloping meadow and soon had a look up to the Park Butte Lookout. To get there we had to drop down and climb steeply back up again. As we crested the climb our group began to get split up. Suzanne and Elle were heading up open slopes to the summit ridge. Bob and Kolleen were to their left. David, Barb, and I took a more leftward line to the left of a bump on the ridge. This brought us to the site of the summer tarns. Many great photos show Baker over those tarns. Bob and Barb angled over to meet us near the tarns. The tarns were buried under snow. A few snowmobiles zoomed by here. The first ones we saw up close since the lower road. We climbed up to a bench on the bump and had an easy time heading over to the summit ridge. Fantastic views from up high. Suzanne and Elle were reaching the lookout as we made it up to the ridge. The last bit was an easy climb and we were soon on top. There was not a cloud in the sky. Park Butte has the most stunning view of Mt. Baker and it was even better than on my past visits. To the west the Twin Sisters were now in view. Lots of other peaks filled the horizon. Even the summit of Mt. Shuksan was now in view. We all wished we could spend the night at the lookout. We spent a good half hour in and around the lookout. Snowmobiles started arriving including the guy we had followed in the morning as he backed up the narrow road. It's a small world. He turned out to be a nice guy. One other group of snowshoers showed up. They had followed our tracks all the way up. All to soon it was time to leave. It took us 3 1/2 hours to ascend and it was 2:00 pm when we headed down. The trip down was much easier. Only a few ups and lots of downs. We even got in several good glissades. Snowshoes came off for the steep drop to Rocky Creek and the lower groomed road. The crossing of the creek was no worse than it had been in the morning. The groomed road walk seemed to go on forever. A number of snowmobiles zoomed by. The crowd at the parking area had thinned considerably. We saw two climbers heading out when we did in the morning. We saw them again atop the roof of a snowcat just as we finished. The story is that they managed to hitch snowmobile rides up to 9400' before summiting and hitching rides back down again. That just seems like cheating. Even though we managed to find the busiest day of the year on this route with the snowmobile group get together it turned out to be a great time. For most of the day we were all alone. We even had to find our own route up to Morovitz Meadow. I can't imagine a winter day with clearer skies or better views. Add in good company and you have all the ingredients for a fantastic day in the mountains. 45 photos have been posted at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips-2010" on the left margin.