Park Butte and Railroad Grade

We finally got our act together for a backpack, and we opted to revisit the flanks of Mt. Baker. Our original plan (Lost Ridge, with 4000' of gain and/or loss each of 3 days) was deemed too aggressive for our lack of hiking this year (and maybe for our old knees, in general). But we had good memories of Railroad Grade and Park Butte, and the distances and elevation were more reasonable.

We arrived at the trailhead on a late Sunday morning, and the big lot was bursting at the seams. And we crossed paths with many an exiting hiker and climber on our way up. We opted to stay along Railroad Grade (High Camp, specifically), and it's a good thing. Since our last visit in 1992, there has been lots of work to limit the damage of the crowds, including closing way trails and limited camping to specified sites. We would have found out that our other ideas were off limits ... after we got there! In any case, we powered up the narrow ridge in pretty intense sun and heat, and found ourselves a beautiful spot in the trees, with great views and welcome shade! Crystal clear skies in our local vicinity allowed razor sharp views of Mt Baker and the Twin Sisters across the valley. Further south, however, the easterly winds were bringing in smoke from Eastern Washington forest fires. As evening set in, we seemed to have the whole area to ourselves. Oh, the advantages of weeknight backpacking!

On Monday, we day hiked over to the Park Butte Lookout. We had contemplated trying to sleep in the lookout (which is available on a first-come, first-served basis), but it's a good thing we didn't. Tom had significant difficulty with his growing fear of heights just walking around the outside "porch" that overhung huge drop offs. No problem inside the lookout, but it's not clear how well he would have held up if some significant storms came in. In any case, we had great views of Baker and Twin Sisters from the lookout, but more distant views were dampened by the increasing smoke. So, after getting back to camp and resting for a bit in the shade, we packed up, and hiked out to an almost completely empty parking lot! Very nice trip!