Friday, August 12, 2016
This is a strenuous hike about 6.5 miles round trip with 2,800 feet of elevation gain (or more). Views, wildflowers and ice should be abundant. We’ll follow the main trail to the junction with the Climbers Route and then climb up a sharp, steep ridge of unconsolidated gravel and rocks along a lateral moraine. Snow melt – your hiking boots will get wet. Hiking poles may be helpful. Carpool fee for riders: at least $6. The last few miles to the trailhead are on a Forest Service gravel road. Forest Pass or equivalent required for trailhead parking. Departing at 8:00 am from Sunnyland School parking lot by the traffic light. We’ll stop briefly at Maple Fuels in Maple Falls around 8:45 am. Contact Trip leaders Jennie and Steve for more information. (360) 656-5216, tosteve@mac.com
Trip Report
Good weather, a good trail and good hiking companions. It doesn’t get much better than our hike up Heliotrope Ridge to the climber’s camp today. OK, the bugs could have left us alone, but otherwise, it was a great day in the Pacific Northwest. Mt. Baker must have burped a bit as we smelled sulfur just before we got to the switchbacks. Tons of wildflowers and butterflies were all along the hogsback. We stopped on the flats before the snow fields for lunch and some of us ventured up to the climber’s base camp area. We saw a pair of ravens close by and one was eying a climber’s tent to either get some goodies or just to get into mischief as ravens commonly do. As we were heading down, we heard a pretty good ice fall up on the mountain. In the end, the stream crossings were a piece of cake and everyone kept their shoes (mostly) dry.
Jennie and Steve
From Heliotrope Hogsback