Park Butte, Railroad Grade — Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011

North Cascades > Mount Baker Area

Beautiful hike, mostly snow-free until Morovitz Meadows. Solid snow after this. In previous years these meadows have been full of wildflowers by the end of August, so it's a bit of a disappointment, however the snow is always gorgeous too! As are the views of Baker, the surrounding peaks, and the views south and east of the Cascades. I met a WTA crew near the beginning, who was working on a bridge or raised footpath! They informed me that I was the first person to walk across the finished path. Thanks WTA for your hard work! I asked to take their photo :) I would usually bring poles when hiking in some snow, but I forgot them this time and did fine. The snow hiking is not too steep and I didn't lose my footing. There are tracks in the snow leading you either to Railroad Grade trail, or in the direction of the lookout. I tried going all the way to the lookout, but lost the tracks and decided not to continue as I was hiking alone. I instead backtracked to Railroad Grade trail, and found the campsites to be mostly snow-free - a great place to stop for views and have lunch. I continued a bit along railroad grade, and then headed back for the day. Not too many people for a Sunday - maybe saw 20 people and most of them were climbers, heading up to climb Baker via Railroad Grade. I did not encounter many bugs until around 5pm, when I saw a couple mosquitoes, however none of them bit me, and I didn't find it necessary to don the bug spray. This trail is a favorite of mine, because there are views even at the beginning of the trail, and you don't slog up millions of switchbacks to get your reward. Juicy green, wet meadows at the beginning, and glimpses of Baker and surrounding peaks make for a beautiful hike up and down. And of course the views at Morovitz Meadows and from the Lookout are absolutely breathtaking. The trail is nicely maintained (thanks WTA!) and not very rocky or rutted. I'm glad there is now a footbridge (log) leading across the aggressive Rocky Creek, as I remember wading knee-deep before and feeling a bit unsteady in the fast-moving icy cold water.