Railroad Grade — Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022

First, the road: there was a sign saying Baker Lake Road is closed 8/15-8/18, expect long delays.

The FS roads (12 and 13) to the trailhead were mostly ok. There were patches of washboard/potholes but if you go slow I think anyone could make it to the trailhead. There were some HUGE potholes near the second hairpin on 13, but they were so big that they were essentially low spots on the roadway.

What a beautiful day for a beautiful hike. The area at the top has better views of Baker than you get of Rainier from Paradise. The first mile or so, up to the seasonal bridge over Rocky Creek, is fairly level and easy. But the next mile, from Rocky Creek to the meadow, is relentlessly up, and also the buggiest part of the hike. Stick it out, though, because even the views from the meadow are worth it. You can see Glacier Peak and many others of the North Cascades to the south and southeast, and the tops of Park Butte and the Black Buttes are prominent. But this hike is all about Koma Kulshan, right there in your face. You walk directly toward it through the meadow to get to the railroad grade proper, and each time you round a bend or crest a hill you see a little more.

There's a little flower-filled valley right before you climb the railroad grade, and then suddenly you're face to face with rock and ice and snow, and a very steep dropoff. People who say that "if you are afraid of exposure you might have trouble" are understating it. I have only a little trouble with severe exposure, and I was pretty weak-kneed, especially at first. The trail runs right along a steep (and quite crumbly) drop for much of its length. I went far enough to see the end of the trail, and it didn't get any better, and the views were only a little more close-up. Also, it's fairly narrow and I was having trouble passing people going the other way. Between the stress and the diminishing returns, I took my photos and turned around, probably a mile shy of the end. YMMV.

There were a whole lot of people coming down from summiting that morning. So many people that I wonder how crowded it gets at the top.

A few ripe blueberries were peeking out of the bushes, and a lot of unripe ones. In a week or two this will be a berry-lover's paradise.

Last photo is a selfie wearing the birthday gift t-shirt I lost at Olallie Lake a few weeks ago. Some angel saw my trip report and was kind enough to return it to me. Love the WTA community!