Bad weather was forecast for this evening, but NWS said that the Mt. Baker area would be cloudy, calm, and fairly warm. My buddy and I decided to go to Heliotrope Ridge. Three other pairs of hikers also decided to visit the glacier, and none of us were disappointed. We were the second pair of hikers at the trailhead, arriving at 8AM.
There were clouds hiding most of Baker, but the glacier was clear. A light drizzle started about two miles up the trail, but subsided when we reached the glacier. We enjoyed the blue ice in the crevasses and the interesting serac formations.
It started raining while we were driving back to the Highway in the afternoon. Our timing could not have been better.
The storm tonight will bring snow to the Cascades. It may not be possible to reach Coleman Glacier again until next year. I'm glad we went there.
