More from Mt Baker

Hi everyone - 

As it turns out, a trip up Rainier was not in the cards for this season. Another case of life getting in the way of living. I am not too disappointed though - I know that I could have made it. Chris F, my good friend and tent mate, completed a successful summit last week - congratulations! In talking to him, it's clear that the Baker ascent we both tried in June was far more strenuous and difficult than the Disappointment Cleaver route on Rainier at this time of year. 

The summer summit season at Rainier is brief, and this year it is even shorter than usual. The lack of snow + unusually warm temperatures are having a bad effect on the more common routes. As the snow melts, the crevasses get wider, and the route gets longer as you have to go around crevasses that earlier in the season you could have jumped over (yes, jumping over a 2-3 foot crevasses is not that unusual). So it is very doubtful that there will be another window of opportunity for me this year. 

Now it's a matter of bagging some alternate, fun, and challenging peaks over the rest of the summer. Three Fingers, The Brothers, Mt Ellinor, Mt Stuart, Granite Mountain... There are many to choose from. 

In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to share a few more pictures from the epic Boulder Glacier climb up Mt Baker that we did. These shots are from Chris' camera - he is a hell of a photographer. Thanks, buddy, for sharing the pics and letting me post them here. 

-Scott

Chris & Dan. The three of us were a single rope team. I wouldn't want to be tied to anyone else on a big mountain. 

Another perspective on the rock wall that we scrambled up during the first day. That's me in the middle, with the little orange sack hanging from my pack.

After the rock scramble, we were on this ridge with a nice view of Baker Lake far below

Taking a break on the first day. This is where we ultimately ended up making base camp. 

Just a couple guys hanging out in the mountains. The smiles are genuine - this is fun stuff.

The view from the inside of our tent, showing Baker Lake and the remote wilderness of the North Cascades. Not too bad, right?

the view of Mt Shuksan - again from the tent site

While Chris was in there snapping away, I was roaming around outside trying to get settled enough to go to bed. the weather was great - I wasn't cold at all with just a technical t-shirt and the Smartwool baselayer on top. 

Brief break, early Sunday morning. The moon had been up for a while but the sun was not quite up yet. This was probably around 4:30am

End of one of the cleavers we passed on the way up. you can see the crevasses of Boulder Glacier on the other side. See the face in the rock?

This is how far away you are when you are on a 3-man team using a 60-meter rope

And here's a view in the other direction, showing how the teams were zigzagging up the slope. You can clearly see the glissade path that we took on the way back down. 

Sun is up!

On the way back down, postholing, and trying not to fall. 

Back at the fun little rock wall. This is me, about to swing over the edge. It was at this point where you put all of your trust in that funky belay device gadget. That 54 lb pack is feeling awfully heavy right now. It's a moment that makes you pause before stepping out over the edge.

Over the edge, on the way down. If you look closely, you can see the belay device with the ropes through it, in between my hands. 

My favorite pic. This is mountaineering at it's finest. On a steep slope, sun coming up over the distant mountains, and looking forward to getting to the top. Chris made a print of this and gave it to me for my birthday. Thanks man!