Mt Baker via Easton Glacier
Words by Noémi Shuey. Photos by Noémi and Dave Shuey.
12 June 2019
At 10,786 ft elevation, Mt. Baker is the third highest peak in Washington, and the second most heavily glaciated volcano in the cascade range. The Easton Glacier is a gently sloped route, with a couple pitches of moderate snow higher up, that takes you to this coveted summit.
With a plan to camp our first night and no big rush in the morning, Dave and I set off from the Park Butte trailhead at about 9:00 am. We cruised along the forested Park Butte trail, which begins switchbacking about a mile and a half in. Once the trail began to flatten out at about the two mile mark, we hit snow and cut off on the Railroad Grade trail, which chugs along at a comfortable pitch and brings you up to an excellent ridgeline. Wildflowers dotted the trail with drop-offs on both sides—friendly marmots on the left and rocky snow fields to the right—with excellent views of Baker up ahead. After hiking 4.3 miles with 2650 feet elevation gain, we came upon a large flat area with plenty of options for places to set up camp. We even found a few dirt campsites were the snow had melted out, and settled into our camp around noon. We spent the rest of the afternoon hydrating, organizing our gear, and taking in the spectacular scenery around us.
At 4:45 the next morning, we set off from camp just as the sky began to grow pink. When we reached the edge of the Easton glacier, we roped up and continued on. It was a warm bluebird day, and at about 7:30 am the sun crested the ridgeline and it wasn’t long before we were sweating. As warm as it was, we couldn’t have asked for better weather to summit.
Being my first climb of the season, I focused on hiking at a steady pace without stopping much or getting too out of breath. We cruised along in this fashion, making good time. Hiking behind Dave and watching the scenery go by, I was struck by the beauty and splendor of this curious place that I found myself in. Undulating snow fields, gaping crevasses, the sound of distant ice fall, the silence of the still morning air… At one time, glacial terrain can somehow feel so natural and peaceful, yet also foreign, hostile, and intense. While I imagined that we were charting off into untouched territory, the trail was actually very easy to follow in the footsteps of countless climbers before us.
For the most part, the crevasses were also obvious and easily navigated. As we neared the steeper pitches toward the summit, we punched through to our knees as we crossed a crevasse near the ridgeline, and chose a different point to cross that was more solid on the way back down. Below the summit, the trail steepened and we kicked into the foot holds that the guided party above us had left. Under the mid-June sun, the snow was beginning to soften but was still firm enough to inspire confidence on this steeper section. We topped out on a false summit, and made a quick ten minute jaunt to the actual summit of Baker, just after 10:00 am. The summit was warm and wonderfully windless. After a quick repose, we headed down to get through the steeper pitches before the snow softened up any more.
A much-welcome cloud cover rolled in to give us a break from the unrelenting sun as we cruised the descent. We rolled with our momentum and made good time, taking just two hours to get back to camp. At about 2 pm we set off with heavy packs and an air of tired contentment, our eyes set on beer and pizza in nearby Lyman. We were back at the van with blistered feet and aching knees by 4 pm.
The Easton Glacier route took us 3:30hrs to reach camp, 5:20hrs camp to summit, 2:10hrs summit to camp, and 2:00hrs camp to trailhead, for a total of 15.2 mi and +/- 7500 ft.
