A friend from the Mt. Baker Club joined me today in a hike to Winchester Mountain and the lookout (cabin) at the peak. The views were amazing almost from the very start of this moderately strenuous hike, and just kept getting more spectacular as we ascended. Upon reaching the peak we were grateful to see first-hand that the lookout cabin is once again in fine shape, thanks to a team of dedicated members of the Club who carried tools and materials up there to restore and repair it following vandalism during this past winter.
Yes, the extremely rough road to the trailhead calls for a high clearance vehicle; my Honda CRV got us there relatively unscathed. However the bumps and scrapes were amply rewarded by the 360-degree views that included Mt. Larabee, American Border Peak, Canadian Border Peak, Yellow Aster Butte, Goat Mt. and innumerable others.
Going at a leisurely pace with frequent stops for photos and blueberry snacks, we reached the top in two hours. The descent only took an hour and a quarter. We did see some smoke rising off to the east, but we weren’t much disturbed by it, nor by the slight haze. The hillsides are ablaze with red, gold, yellow and purple, vying with the breathtaking distant views in all directions. Bring poles, as the trail does have a few spots that could be risky without them. We met with few bugs, a nice cooling breeze, and only a handful of other hikers. Go soon if you can.
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