Despite the rollercoaster fall weather of sun, rain, cloud, fog, ice, snow, and potential flooding; 
members of the Mt Baker Club expertly matched conditions to outings for many memorable trips as the winter haltingly approached. Here is a sampling of these outings; several of which are no longer possible until the spring (or summer) thaw.
Mt Loop Highway Adventures
The announcement of the opening of the Mt Loop Hwy after four years of closure provided an easy excuse for several trips to this area.
For the past several years, club members had “nibbled” away at the broken ends of the Mt Loop via hikes and bike rides. Early in the season hikes to high mountain passes and picturesque lakes were still possible. With the arrival of snow and ice, shorter hikes and snowshoe trips were made beautiful by the freshly fallen snow. As always, we enjoyed a wide assortment of sights including dramatic summit views, raging river cataracts, pounding waterfalls, and fascinating historic sites.
The announcement of the opening of the Mt Loop Hwy after four years of closure provided an easy excuse for several trips to this area.
For the past several years, club members had “nibbled” away at the broken ends of the Mt Loop via hikes and bike rides. Early in the season hikes to high mountain passes and picturesque lakes were still possible. With the arrival of snow and ice, shorter hikes and snowshoe trips were made beautiful by the freshly fallen snow. As always, we enjoyed a wide assortment of sights including dramatic summit views, raging river cataracts, pounding waterfalls, and fascinating historic sites. Serpentine Lake, Coquihalla, BC
A long desired hike to a remote mountain lake, famed for the encircling outcrops of serpentine rock. D
espite overcast weather we made our way up steeply through some of the most fascinating old-growth forest any of us had ever seen. Encroaching logging had not yet reached these slopes, allowing us to enjoy a cross country trek through a green carpeted forest characterized by a wide and wild assortment of tree species, sizes and ages. After enjoying the tranquil lake setting we intersected the rough trail and followed it down thus giving us a wonderful loop experience. Evidence of on-going logging up slope made us feel even more blessed to have experienced this wonderful area. On the drive back we visited various trailheads, interpretive sites, abandoned rail lines and other locations in this fascinating canyon with exciting plans for future trips. An excellent dinner in Hope provided a comfortable end to a memorable day.
Stimpson Reserve, Sudden Valley
An annual Club event, a sizeable group of members joined Janet for an enjoyable hike through this natural area. Warm wintery sunlight, attractively streaked through the forest framing surprisingly large trees and attractive wetlands and lakes. It was interesting, hiking from the new access trail and learning about other trail construction in the area. Afterwards we returned to Janet’s house for a wonderful selection of hot soups which gave us one of those rare opportunities to enjoy each others company indoors. Leaving, we all felt the warmth of not only the delicious soup but the good fellowship that we had shared. Many thanks to Janet for once again putting this outing together and opening her lovely home to all of us.
Returning to our customary meeting place at the Sunnyland School parking lot on this Memorial Day weekend, a group of us paid our respects at Memorial Park just down the street. The large trees lining the park had been planted in dedication fallen soldiers of the World War (I). A new memorial, sadly with vacant space still being filled, marks the names of more fallen soldiers from the wars that have since followed.
Mt Baker Highway Explorations
In our own backyard, we had several trips this fall to find and explore historic mines and trails. We enjoyed a wealth of experiences including: abandoned gold mines, culturally modified trees, historic and lost trails, waterfalls, wild goats & elk, and incredible mountain scenery. The highlight of our trips was undoubtedly our rediscovery of the original Mt Baker Trail which led to the club’s former Kulshan Cabin now just a location on the modern Heliotrope Trail. This trail was also used by some of the racers in the Mt Baker Marathon. Now with the snow covering the ground we eagerly wait for the summer to find the extent of the remaining portions of this abandoned but historically important trail.
Lynn Cedar, North Shore, Vancouver
A long awaited quest to find the 1,000 year old cedar of Lynn Canyon was successful for a group of club members this fall. A cloudy marginal day was perfect for the forest hike following sketchy directions to this magnificent tree. Picking our way along by way of abandoned trails, occasional steep slopes augmented by dubious ropes we felt some sense of accomplishment. Lunching on the banks of the Lynn River gave us more time to absorb the beauty and surprising wildness of our surroundings before returning to the urban setting of Vancouver. Not wanting to waste even this, we completed another long overdue goal of having dinner at the ethnically accurate Afghan Horsemen.
North Cascades Hwy
Camping in a vineyard, crunching ice on the hike to high mountain passes, skiing and snowshoeing at Washington Pass and Rainy Lake, all added to several days of fun in exploring a familiar area relatively close to home. Every year club members try to experience that last perfect blue sky outing before the fall storms close the pass for the remainder of the season. We’re not lucky all the time but this year we judged it perfectly, twice. Cold, powder dry snow, views of Liberty Bell and surrounding peaks from the snowcovered overlook, big open meadows, and lakes trapped in tight and vertical walled cirques were all blanketed by a cloudless and perfectly blue sky.
Southern Olympics
With marginal weather and the closure of Staircase and other forest access points we still managed to fill our days with exploring abandoned mountain railtrails, thundering remote waterfalls, and magnificent old growth forests in this proverbially wet area of the state. Lowering clouds encouraged us to visit waterside parks and historic sites along the south end of the Hood Canal. This was an enjoyable trip and one of those unusual times when everyone was willing and pleased to dry out in a motel and enjoy a hot dinner indoors.
Hwy 2 Snow Exploring
With the advent of low elevation snow we set off along Hwy 2 to sample and check conditions for numerous winter outings. The morning was spent snow hiking the old growth forest near Lake Elizabeth. Later we explored the conditions of the North Fork Skykomish and Beckler River drainages. We ended the day with a ski tour in
the big tree area of the Smithbrook Rd just east of Stevens Pass. We came away with plenty of ideas for snowshoe and ski tour trips this winter.
Samish River Paddle
One of the few ways to actually enjoy the rainy fall weather is with a kayak paddle. Responding
to a call for a mountain hike, an assortment of intrepid paddlers took their cue from stormy conditions to meet and explore the Samish River drainage instead. Beaver signs, animal slides, eagles, salmon and a sinuous route provided us with plenty of interest. The short but intense paddle against the current of the upper river was prematurely ended by a small but definitive log jamb. It was a good place to turn around and enjoy the free ride down current until meeting the rising tide. The predicted heavy rains and wind didn’t reach us until we were safely at home that night. What a break.
A long desired hike to a remote mountain lake, famed for the encircling outcrops of serpentine rock. D
espite overcast weather we made our way up steeply through some of the most fascinating old-growth forest any of us had ever seen. Encroaching logging had not yet reached these slopes, allowing us to enjoy a cross country trek through a green carpeted forest characterized by a wide and wild assortment of tree species, sizes and ages. After enjoying the tranquil lake setting we intersected the rough trail and followed it down thus giving us a wonderful loop experience. Evidence of on-going logging up slope made us feel even more blessed to have experienced this wonderful area. On the drive back we visited various trailheads, interpretive sites, abandoned rail lines and other locations in this fascinating canyon with exciting plans for future trips. An excellent dinner in Hope provided a comfortable end to a memorable day.Stimpson Reserve, Sudden Valley
An annual Club event, a sizeable group of members joined Janet for an enjoyable hike through this natural area. Warm wintery sunlight, attractively streaked through the forest framing surprisingly large trees and attractive wetlands and lakes. It was interesting, hiking from the new access trail and learning about other trail construction in the area. Afterwards we returned to Janet’s house for a wonderful selection of hot soups which gave us one of those rare opportunities to enjoy each others company indoors. Leaving, we all felt the warmth of not only the delicious soup but the good fellowship that we had shared. Many thanks to Janet for once again putting this outing together and opening her lovely home to all of us.Returning to our customary meeting place at the Sunnyland School parking lot on this Memorial Day weekend, a group of us paid our respects at Memorial Park just down the street. The large trees lining the park had been planted in dedication fallen soldiers of the World War (I). A new memorial, sadly with vacant space still being filled, marks the names of more fallen soldiers from the wars that have since followed.
Mt Baker Highway Explorations
In our own backyard, we had several trips this fall to find and explore historic mines and trails. We enjoyed a wealth of experiences including: abandoned gold mines, culturally modified trees, historic and lost trails, waterfalls, wild goats & elk, and incredible mountain scenery. The highlight of our trips was undoubtedly our rediscovery of the original Mt Baker Trail which led to the club’s former Kulshan Cabin now just a location on the modern Heliotrope Trail. This trail was also used by some of the racers in the Mt Baker Marathon. Now with the snow covering the ground we eagerly wait for the summer to find the extent of the remaining portions of this abandoned but historically important trail.Lynn Cedar, North Shore, Vancouver
A long awaited quest to find the 1,000 year old cedar of Lynn Canyon was successful for a group of club members this fall. A cloudy marginal day was perfect for the forest hike following sketchy directions to this magnificent tree. Picking our way along by way of abandoned trails, occasional steep slopes augmented by dubious ropes we felt some sense of accomplishment. Lunching on the banks of the Lynn River gave us more time to absorb the beauty and surprising wildness of our surroundings before returning to the urban setting of Vancouver. Not wanting to waste even this, we completed another long overdue goal of having dinner at the ethnically accurate Afghan Horsemen.North Cascades Hwy
Camping in a vineyard, crunching ice on the hike to high mountain passes, skiing and snowshoeing at Washington Pass and Rainy Lake, all added to several days of fun in exploring a familiar area relatively close to home. Every year club members try to experience that last perfect blue sky outing before the fall storms close the pass for the remainder of the season. We’re not lucky all the time but this year we judged it perfectly, twice. Cold, powder dry snow, views of Liberty Bell and surrounding peaks from the snowcovered overlook, big open meadows, and lakes trapped in tight and vertical walled cirques were all blanketed by a cloudless and perfectly blue sky.Southern Olympics
With marginal weather and the closure of Staircase and other forest access points we still managed to fill our days with exploring abandoned mountain railtrails, thundering remote waterfalls, and magnificent old growth forests in this proverbially wet area of the state. Lowering clouds encouraged us to visit waterside parks and historic sites along the south end of the Hood Canal. This was an enjoyable trip and one of those unusual times when everyone was willing and pleased to dry out in a motel and enjoy a hot dinner indoors.Hwy 2 Snow Exploring
With the advent of low elevation snow we set off along Hwy 2 to sample and check conditions for numerous winter outings. The morning was spent snow hiking the old growth forest near Lake Elizabeth. Later we explored the conditions of the North Fork Skykomish and Beckler River drainages. We ended the day with a ski tour in
the big tree area of the Smithbrook Rd just east of Stevens Pass. We came away with plenty of ideas for snowshoe and ski tour trips this winter.Samish River Paddle
One of the few ways to actually enjoy the rainy fall weather is with a kayak paddle. Responding
to a call for a mountain hike, an assortment of intrepid paddlers took their cue from stormy conditions to meet and explore the Samish River drainage instead. Beaver signs, animal slides, eagles, salmon and a sinuous route provided us with plenty of interest. The short but intense paddle against the current of the upper river was prematurely ended by a small but definitive log jamb. It was a good place to turn around and enjoy the free ride down current until meeting the rising tide. The predicted heavy rains and wind didn’t reach us until we were safely at home that night. What a break. 
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