After being on the road since the 3rd week of May and finishing the Corps of Discovery’s trek to the Pacific Ocean, we were ready for a rest. So when we got to Lynden, Washington, we checked into Oostema Farmstead for a week and enjoyed the fresh air (combined with the small of cows) and scenery. I started getting caught up with our travel posts, and Barney worked on our RV and relaxed. Occasionally we drove into town for an afternoon at Starbucks and also found a Great Clips for haircuts. When we saw Mt. Baker in the distance (keep looking at the pictures in this post), we decided to go exploring when the sun was out and the day was warmer.
Oostema Farmstead is a secluded farm that is a working Wagyu cattle farm, just minutes from town and an easy base for Mt Baker.
If you’re interested in checking out their farm and beef, here’s their website: oostemafarmstead.com. We bought some of their beef before we left and enjoyed the stew meat on our way home. If you’re interested in ordering their beef, they can send it to you.
driving to Mt. Baker
This sign along the way toward the mountain let us know about its history. “The gleaming crest of Mount Baker, impressive northern buttress of the Cascade Range, rises skyward to the lofty elevation of 10,750 feet.
“Lieutenant Joseph Baker, Vancouver’s valiant officer, sighted the snowy eminence from far out toward the sea on April 30, 1792 and the captain of the expedition named it in his honor.”
From the brochure about Mt. Baker, “The 534,334 acres in the ranger district allow for a variety of year-round recreational opportunities. Visitors can hike, camp, ride horses, fish, kayak, climb glaciers, and ski. In the summers, tens of thousands of people come to hike the trails. In the winter, the Mt. Baker Ski Area lures visitors with an annual average snowfall of 641 inches.
Mt. Baker ski area
Artist Ridge parking lot
When we got to the parking lot, Mt. Baker was on our right. Throughout the day the cloud covered the top of the mountain. This parking lot is as far up as we could drive in the Mt. Baker wilderness.
Mt. Baker stands deceptively still, while inside the ice-encrusted face, a fire burns. During a volcanic eruption, an explosive mass could blast through the surface, vaporizing the mountain’s glacial ice and sending hot mud and lava down into the valleys below. Ash would billow into the sky before falling everywhere.
Mt. Baker’s most recent lava flows are less than 9000 years old. Native Americans and early settlers witnessed ash eruptions in the 1800s. In 1975, volcanic steam melted ice fields, forming a lake in Sherman Crater. Occasionally, steam plumes rise from the crater, reminding us that Mt. Baker is an active Cascade volcano like Mount St. Helens to the south.
The parking lot that we’re in is at the beginning of the Artist Ridge Trail. Life here balances precariously at the harsh edge between lush green forests and barren rocks and snow.
We started walking along the trail and could see the vegetation along the coarse lava rock. This barrier-free access along the first 600 feet of trail leads to a scenic overlook with impressive views of Mt. Baker and its surroundings on a clear day.
From the parking lot, the view to our left was Mt. Shuksan.
Mt. Shuksan’s sky-stabbing crags have endured millions of times longer than a human life. Yet, Mt. Shuksan’s ancient rocks seem fragile and newborn when viewed against the awesome backdrop of geologic time.
If we compare the 4.5 billion years of earth history to one day, Mt. Shuksan’s rocks would not have formed until 11:30 p.m., and the peak would have risen from the earth’s depths only two minutes before midnight.
The mountains seem so solid, so unyielding, so permanent, yet they are temporary waves swelling through the earth’s crust, cresting too slowly for our eyes to see. Today, Mt. Shuksan is still rising. However, if the next 4.5 billion years are the 24 hours of a new day, Mt. Shuksan’s swell could sink back into the earth in the first few minutes.
- far left: collision of oceanic and continental plates
- left: 6 million years ago – plate collision crumples continental margin
- right: present – ongoing uplift of Cascades
- far right: future – collision lessens and erosion exceeds uplift
visitors center
Their strength is like rubber rather than steel. Instead of developing stout branches and great size to battle what we see as harsh conditions, these plants mold their shape, size, and life cycles to fit their environment.
Most subalpine meadow plants stay small and hug the ground, using the deep blanket of winter snow as protection from winds and cold. Roots spread wide rather than digging deep, finding nutrients in the relative warmth of the upper soil. Larger plants grow into shapes that shed snow and elude wind.
Most of the plants that grow here would not thrive in the warmer, gentler climate we humans prefer. For them, Heather Meadows is a comfortable home.
When traveling into this mountainous realm people need to be prepared for risk and challenge. Trails are often steep and hard to follow. They should expect to crawl over logs or wade creeks. Few signs guide the way.
Local history echoes attempts to search out routes and ways of travel through this ancient land of fire & ice. Early inhabitants, living in the lower river valleys, followed the waterways. Traversing towards the water’s glacial source they discovered this alpine paradise. Through the years others followed their path towards the adventure and the spirit of the high country.
right picture: Reassurance markers help hikers find their way along the Wild Goose Trail.
Paved highways, forest roads and trails now access the heart of Mt. Baker’s backcountry. Here at Heather Meadows, the trail system winds between picnic spots at Austin Pass and the surrounding mountainous terrain. Interpretive signs along the Picture Lake Trail, the Fire & Ice Trail and the Artist Ridge Trail offer insight into this sparkling mosaic of crystalline lakes and unique rock formation.
early 1900s
Mountaineers began to explore the Cascades in the early 1900s. They took delight in the challenge of scaling prominent peaks like Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan. From 1911-1913, local enthusiasts participated in the legendary Mt. Baker Marathons and raced from Mt. Baker to Bellingham.
From Wikipedia, “The Ski to Sea is a seven-legged, 93-mile long, multi-event competition held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend in Whatcom County. The race starts on the ski slopes of Mount Baker Ski Area, and ends at Marine Park in Fairhaven, on the shore of Bellingham Bay. The seven legs of the race are cross-country skiing, downhill skiing or snowboarding, running, road biking, canoeing, cyclo-cross biking, and kayaking.
1920s
In the 1920s, a number of men lobbied for monies from millionaire Everett Deming to help develop the area. Investors pooled resources to build a mountain resort, and the Mt. Baker Lodge opened in 1927.
1930s
Heavy winter snows attracted skiers in the early 1930s. The snows also attracted Hollywood. The glistening landscape provided an ideal setting for the filming of the movie version of Jack London’s class novel Call of the Wild. Highway road equipment pushed aside snows to keep the road open to the film site through the spring of 1935.
During the nation’s “depression years,” Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) crews arrived to help the Forest Service develop trails and picnic spots.
Re-vegetation efforts, using native plant species, began in the 1930s and continue to this day at Heather Meadows.
crater steams
Mt. Baker’s daily emission of steam and volcanic gas is the hottest and most powerful in Washington State. Volcanic eruptions have been less numerous and less explosive than Glacier Peak and Mount St. Helens, but any eruption would disrupt population centers today.
- 1843 – Native Americans and explorers report that the forest was “on fire for miles around,” ash fell “like a snowfall,” and salmon were choked by volcanic sediment in the streams.
- 1975 – Heat flow increased 10-fold then subsided over the next two years. Several small lakes and a flow of acidic water reached Baker Lake and raised concerns.
- Today – Although heat flows have diminished from 1975 levels, a steam plume still rises from hot sources deep within the volcano. The appearance of the steam plume varies with atmospheric conditions; steam is especially visible on cold, clear, and windless days. This plume is not a volcanic eruption.
1980s – 1990s
Any of the improvements made to Heather Meadows during the late 1980s and early 1990s reflect the ingenuity of Scott Paul to whose memory Heather Meadows is dedicated. Scott was Trails & Wilderness Coordinator for the Mt. Baker Ranger District from 1986 until his death in 1993. He was a passionate individual whose dynamic leadership and determination inspired those who knew him and worked with him. His uncanny knack for integrating trail location and design with the landscape is evident to those who now walk along these travelways.
Before we leave this beautiful area, we thought you might like to have another look at the two mountains in this area.
After a wonderful week in northwestern Washington, we started driving toward the southeastern part of the state toward Roslyn on our way to southern Idaho and then on to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. The next post will tell you why we went to the town of Roslyn.
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