Two gal friends, a dachshound, and I began our overnight backpack on Saturday morning, with clouds overhead but with hope that they would clear. On the bright side, the clouds provided the coolness and kept the bugs away, for a rather pleasant hike. One of us had not backpacked since before she gave birth to her son (now 4 and a half) and she forgot to pack her new hikers, so with an extra pair of socks, she fit her 6.5 foot into a 9 shoe! That was one of many mishaps, but overall nothing we couldn't manage. The adventure aside, one thing to note- there are nice car camping spots at the trail head if you venture for one night car camp and backpack or just day hikes- it is rather convenient. We didn't know this, and ended up driving the extra 12 miles along Baker Lake Road to the end of Baker Lake to camp at Shannon Creek on Friday night. It was nice enough but certainly the free and closeness of the spots at the trailhead would have been ideal. On Sunday morning the weather was fantastic, we hiked a second trip up to the fire lookout at Park Butte for 360 degree views of Baker, the Twin Sisters, and off in the distance- Mt. Shuksan and Glacier Peak (to name a few). Lots of beautiful wildflowers as well, such as Purple Asters and Fireweed. And, at the trailhead, there are lots of huckleberries and blueberries- less so (at this time) higher up. During the afternoon- the crossing along the creek was a little dicey- with water spilling over the trail, if you didn't want to get your feet wet, trying to balance a 40 pound pack with feet carefully balanced on wet rocks was tricky at best. Oh- add trying to do that with a dachshund in your arms- hmmm. But, we all survived. Overall- an amazing trip, with lots of splended views (once the fog lifted), choice of nice camp sites- we stayed at Cathedral Camp at the saddle of Park Butte. Other better spots (but might not be "legal") are located at the tarns on the way to the fire lookout- good water source and views of Mt. Baker.

Hiking the Scott Paul Loop counter-clockwise and up to Park Butte is one of my favorite hikes. The weather this day was more like a late fall hike than a mid August hike and although there were no mountain views - which there are plenty with this hike - it was still beautiful. The Scott Paul trail counter-clockwise ties into Park Butte trail at about 5.5 miles. Most of the elevation gain - which is just steady - is in the cover trees which is wonderful on a hot day. When you get to this junction, take a right. Follow the trail past the Rail Road Grade junction and up to Park Butte. We followed the Park Butte trail back to the TH. Rock hopped crosing the creek which was quite low today. The total mileage is about 12 miles. The trails were in great condition, really no bugs on the trails, a little mud as it rained a bit and two blowdowns that were no problem getting over or around on the Scott Paul trail.

We arrived behind schedule to find a parking lot full of cars at 930. We began our hike with temp in the 70s. As we climbed about 1/2 mile in, the flys and heat got extemely annoying almost to the point of turning around. Finally, as we cleared into the meadow in the upper stretch the breeze and the cooler temp kept the flies to just pesky at times. The trail was great, though in my trail guide it said kid friendly, i would not agree. It was tough at times. We made it to the lookout. it was impressive. We heard glasiers breaking off. Awesome views of Mt. Baker. I would do it all over again tomorrow but start early, early.

Scheibers Meadow Loop hike with 3.0 mile RT sidetrip to Park Butte Lookout. Perfect day, other than a bit too hot. 10am start at trailhead on a Friday encountered a fair number of cars in parking lot, but still plenty of space. FS roads 12 & 13 from Baker Lake Hwy were very smooth (freshly graded) and only lightly dusty. Suggest clockwise direction on the loop...puts you almost immediately into subalpine country with views. Steady 2 miles up to intersection with Scott Paul Trail. A few flies buzzing to aggravate, but not many landed in late morning. 1.5 miles to Park Butte Lookout is definitely worth the extra effort. Few snow patches to cross. Lookout is well stocked with overnight needs. 360 degree views including full monty of Mt Baker. We were first in, could've claimed for overnight if we were so inclined. Back onto Scott Paul trail had a few more miles of mostly uphill climbing across open/exposed terrain. Bugs were never a big deal. Last 2+ miles are steady down thru forest.

On a beautiful, hot sunny day, we took a hike up Railroad Grade to see how far we could get and check out the wildflowers. Left at 11 in the morning, and had an easy creek crossing to begin with. Trail is in very good shape and has had a lot of work. Thanks to trail crews. The trail was completely clear of snow all the way to the top of the actual railroad grade, about 5700 feet. Makes a great hike for this time of year. Lots of flowers in the meadows and of course one of the best views in the North Cascades. The area around the top of the trail, however, is still snow covered, so we did not do any scrambling towards the Deming Glacier and Black Buttes. On the way down we had a sudden burst of energy so we decided to do Park Butte also. That trail is not in as good of shape and has many patches of rotten spring snow. But it is still very doable in tennis shoes with no equipment. Don't let the snow stop you. Beautiful view from Park Butte. On the return trip, the creek was much higher. We tried to rockhop but ended up slipping and getting all wet anyway. We would have been better just to wade it. We only met a few other day hikers. Several parties of backpackers and climbers.