After Adams, where our friend became familiar with crampons and an ice axe, it was only logical to continue her study on Mt Baker.
It is lower than Adams, 3285 metres, but has a much more significant glacier, with crevasses and all other nice stuff, which is good for training the rope work. Again, it is second by volcanic activity in Cascade mountains after Mt Saint Helens and by glacial coverage after Mt Rainier.
I found that I climbed Baker not so often as I thought. This time was just the sixth. However, I made it from different routes. Here are the stories of some of my visits. This time we again used the Squak Glacier route, which we love by the same company as Adams.
At the parking lot, we arrived at about 1 pm, and it was a good decision. First, it is only several hours of hiking to the camping, no need to start too early. Second, we got a chance to park in a good spot. This year brings a lot of people here, including plenty of commercial guided groups. Before, NF somehow regulated their quantity, but it stopped doing this, and they are multiplied. However, at noon, some commercial groups that do climb for 3-4 days, already come back and leave; some early birds, who just hike to the glacier, also come back and leave. So, you have a place to park without coming at 6 am.
Fortunately, most of these people use another route, so we were not surrounded by crowds. Actually, most of the time we were alone. Another reason to love the Squak route.
Baker in all its glory.
Snow not melted completely yet, but all open places immediately covered with lilies.
Shuksan.
We continued our ascent.
The glacier is closer and closer; it is time to look for a night place.
Found the perfect spot with furs, the dry place for tents, and even running water, no need to melt ice.
In the morning, waked up at our favourite 5 am, had breakfast, and continued our ascend.
Here are crevasses.
The Crater rim is a traditional place to rest, eat something, look inside the crater, and smell some hydrogen sulphide.
Crater.
The Crater rim is a point where two south routes are connected, so from here up to the top is always crowdy. However, we are not early birds, and the crowd almost disappeared before we came. We shared the summit with only one other person.
On the summit.
And after down-down-down…
After my story about how one of my friends and I climbed Baker for the beer, one of my current companions wanted some cider in the same pub after the climb. Unfortunately, we were late. From my memory, the pub should close at 7 pm (although I cannot understand how a pub can work only till 7 pm), but we found that it works only till 6 pm now! It s ridiculous, 6 pm is the time to start drinking beer! Especially near the Baker trailhead.
It was the good Mt Baker visit.
