We are heading for the Park Butte trail in Mt Baker Wilderness. A doe and twin fawns appear as we wind up gravel forest roads. We had been told that it is a busy trail but were still surprised to see the trailhead lot quite full.  No problem, it’s a big wilderness.  We were overtaken by quite a few hikers.  They all seem to be in a great hurry.  Not us.  The trail starts in high meadow where the heather blanketing the ground is covered with purple blooms.  It steepens and switchbacks through forest.  We cross a wide swatch of glacier moraine and a bridge over a beautiful braided river that is steely grey with the glacier flour it carries.  Soon we encounter patches of snow.  Some mud of course given all the melt and rain.  Now more snow.  At about 2 ½ miles and about 1500 feet in elevation gain we are on slushy, messy snow pack.  Ick.  This is hard work.  We wear out before we reach the lookout tower at trails end.  It would have been another mile or so on an unmarked trail on snow. We do make it to the start of the climbers trail onto Mt Baker and we choose to check out the fantastic view for a bit then head back down.

A bit of advice.

Don’t stick hot tired feet in a frigid glacier stream. Yikes.  That water was ice mere hours ago.  Three toes cramped into the shape of hawk talons.  Not good. They recovered quickly with a bit of warming in the sun.

Very cool

Red breasted sapsuckers love this damp thick forest