HERE COMES THE (SHUK)SUN
I was up early the next
morning, as I was anticipating seeing the sun for the first time in days. For once, I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, the early morning sun was nearly blinding
after days of fog and rain. After
breakfast, I drove back up to Heather
Meadows. I parked at the Lake Ann
trailhead, and gathered my gear for a hike to the base of Mount Shuksan
(pronounced Shuk-sun).
It was then that I realized
that, in my eagerness to get to the trailhead, I had neglected to bring water
from the campground. I wandered all
over the Heather Meadows area in search of a faucet, but didn’t find one. I wasn’t about to drive back to the
campground, so I threw my filter in my pack and hit the trail.
It was a much nicer day, but
there were still clouds clinging to the highest peaks. After days of rain, I wasn’t about to
complain though. I followed the trail
down through an incredible wildflower garden.
At Swift Creek, I stopped to filter water. From there, I followed an easy but muddy stretch of trail. I was able to hop through most of the mud,
but one particularly impressive quagmire caused me to pause. Going around wasn’t an option, and the mud
was more than knee deep. I attempted to
cross the mud hole, using submerged rocks and logs. I was almost at the end, when my boot slipped. It was an ungraceful fall, and I landed on
my side in the middle of the slop.
Actually, to be honest, the fall was intentional. I was simply trying to remove the mud from
the trail, by way of absorption. Well
what can I say, I’m truly dedicated to public service. Unfortunately I looked like a UPS driver the
rest of the day.
The mud eventually ended in
favor of a rocky climb. Normally I
wouldn’t look forward to walking uphill, but in this case, it was a
considerable improvement. As I climbed,
I looked back towards Mount Baker, which was still hidden in the clouds. Fortunately, the muck had finally broken
around Mount Shuksan, which was directly ahead of me. Although there were a few clouds lingering near the summit, the
west side of the mountain and several of its glaciers were in plain view.
I crested an unnamed pass,
and descended to a ridge above Lake Ann.
I followed the ridge into a meadow with a great view of the
mountain. It was a great view, and
apparently I wasn’t the only one who thought so. There were probably 30 or 40 people lounging in the meadow,
taking in the sun, and the view.
I had lunch there, but
decided to explore further. I followed
the continuing trail, which heads towards Fisher Chimney. This trail eventually provides access to a
popular mountaineering route to the summit.
I wasn’t about to attempt that, but decided to follow the path over to
the base of the mountain, where I’d get an up-close view of the Lower Curtis
Glacier.
This path was more rugged
than the main trail to Lake Ann. The
footing was marginal, and the path was blocked by the occasional deadfall. Steady switchbacks made for a challenging
ascent, but the effort was worth it.
Before long, I was treated to a great view north, down the valley of
Swift Creek all the way to Baker Lake.
Eventually the climb eased, and I traversed a bare slope towards the
glacier. At one point, the path crossed
a gully full of loose talus and scree.
This was a little dicey, but it allowed me to gain the top of a ridge
overlooking the glacier. From there I
had a great view of the ice spilling down from the summit.
I relaxed there for a time,
before heading back. While I was there,
I spotted two climbers on their way down from the summit. A few minutes later, I heard an incredible
roar as the glacier calved, sending large chunks of snow and ice down into the
valley below.
On my return, I stopped to
explore Lake Ann. I wandered the
lakeshore for a while, before resuming the hike out. On the return, I was treated to a few glimpses of Mount Baker
flashing me through the clouds. At one
point, the mountain lifted her skirts just long enough to allow a glimpse of
the summit. This was somewhat
satisfying, as I’d been looking forward to seeing Mount Baker all week.
There were still a couple
hours of daylight when I returned to the car.
Instead of heading back to camp, I decided to take advantage of it. I drove back to Artist’s Point, where I
began the short hike to Table Mountain.
I hurried up to the top, despite the steep grade. Once on top, I hiked out towards the end of
the mountain. I think the official
trail actually ends at the east end, but I didn’t realize it. By the time I neared the far end, the clouds
had returned, and I was walking in a chilly fog. Sigh. I hurried back down
and returned to the car. There, I was
pleasantly surprised to find that I had a cell signal. I called my wife to let her know that I was
doing ok, and to fill her in on my latest change in plans. I would be starting a backpacking trip the
following morning, but told her I’d call once I finished on Sunday.
Continue reading about my trip as I backpack along Copper Ridge and the Chilliwack River.
Back to Washington trip reports.
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!