Another amazing little outing in luscious sub-alpine surroundings. Babbling brooks, ground clothes made of partridge foot.. or heather.. or brilliant green, luxuriant mosses. Small tangles of bedrock and krummholz poking up here and there, and in the distance, brilliant white majesties of Koma Kulshan (Mount Baker) and Shuksan stealing the show.
We stopped by this short little hike this morning to stretch our legs and visit this former fire lookout. The air was cool and ice still lurked in the shadows. Blueberries were fat on the bushes with autumn’s red cresting the leaves. We ate our fill and explored the quiet little camp spots along the way.
All too soon we scampered the last few switchbacks through once flower strewn cliffs. The summit and it’s amazing views were ours. The names of the lookout’s creators were left stenciled in a small cement pad. The horizon was packed with summits in all directions; Baker dominates to the north, the Sisters’ jagged ridgeline taunts to the west. To the south is Glacier, Sloan, White Horse and many others, while to the east is an endless sea of the Pickets, and the North Central Cascades. Even the Olympics, on a clear day, dare show themselves on the distant horizon.
Owing to time constraints we skipped visiting Blue Lake on our way down. We’ll leave that for a warm sunny afternoon…
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