Aug 11 - Mt Baker
It's Mt Baker Day - yea!
I leave around 7am because 1) I'm not sure how crowded it will be 2) I have to timeline to be in Seattle by 6pm.
Easy drive in open country for quite a bit and then there's plenty of time on windy roads thru thick NW woods. Very calming drive.
I takes about 1.5 hours to reach the Heather Meadows signage.
It's cloudy out so it's hard to see the peaks. At some point, I do get a glimpse of Mt Baker. But seeing peaks is almost impossible.
I come across Picture Lake but I'm not stopping. 1) Most of the trail is closed due to boardwalk replacement 2) Mt D is not out. Maybe later.
I pass the sign to Bagley Lake. I do want to hike that but I think getting to the top to hike Artist Point first maybe the best plan because that parking area will probably the most crowded.
After Bagley, the road gets very steep and the switchback corners get tighter.
I pass over Bagley Lakes
the Visitors Center
and Table Mountain.
And here's the end of the road parking. Still plenty of spots.
Still clouded and 55 degrees with a light breeze. I gear up and try and find my trail. I loop the parking lot finding the Table Mt and Chain Lakes trails. They share an entrance, then one goes up and one goes across a steep slopes.
I find Artist Point on the opposite corner and start up the trail.
Not many flowers are here. I do find Monkeyflower (Pink), a few Asters (??)
There are also tons of ferns which is a surprise to me as there's no trees.
The views along the trail are cloudy. The best view is back towards the parking lot/Table Mt.
There are a few small "ponds" which would be amazing for reflections on a clear day but that is not today. (This is probably the best view of Mt Baker for the day.)I reach the viewpoint. I know where Mt Baker is; right in front of me but all I see are clouds and tiny bits of the mountain at times.Time to head down.
Back at the car, I head down to Bagley Lakes.
When I get there, Mt Shuksan is visible. Yea!
Bagley Lakes is a 2.2 mile loop. I'm heading down the Bagley Lakes trail on the way to the lake and Chain Lakes on the way back.
I reach the Bagley trail and start down it. It starts as a little lake with Table Mt in the backdrop.
Then it turns into a small creek flowing in the lake.
Seeing a few more flowers - Asters (???), Monkeyflower, Elephanthead, Subalpine Spiream, Fireweed - this one with a Spiddlebug
and
I find a Yellowlegs (??) along the way.
The closer I get to Bagley Lake, the faster the water is moving as it starts to flow downhill.But first, before the bridge along the stream, I find a bunch of Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus.
I see a Frit by the bridge but it doesn't stop. :(
I ask some hikers if there's another lake nearby but they say it's quite a ways and uphill as well. I guess I'll just walk down the lake for just a tiny bit.
And then start back on the Chain Lakes Trail - passing that brick bridge again.
This trail is a bit more rugged than the other and it's head uphill of the rapids. Still nice trail.I see this butterfly along the trail.
As I continue down the trail, it's getting sunnier but there are still plenty of clouds.I reach the far of the lake again and I'm surprised to find a dam. Make sense it's there as it forms the 2nd small lake. There's a bridge over the dam which I cross.Nice little hike!I head back to the parking lot and Mt Shuksan is still out. I decide to head back to the upper parking lot. Perhaps Mt Baker will be out too.
I stop at a roadside pull-out above Bagley Lakes to see where I have just been. Awesome!
Continuing on, I reach the upper lot and it's packed. I stop briefly and Mt Baker is still buried in clouds. Shoot!I start back down stopping at a roadside viewpoint hoping to get a view of Mt Shuksan. But she's in the clouds.
I continue down past the ski lift. Bingo! Mt Shuksan!!
I head down and stop at Picture Lake. Now it's worth stopping! I make my way to the 1 open trail entrance and make my way to the dock. Shoot! There's a wedding party taking picture. So much for a reflection picture. Bummer! I wasn't the only person disappointed.Well, it's later that I wanted to stay (but worth it) so time to head down and complete my trip.
Awesome day!
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