Mount Baker in Washington State is an impressive 10,781 foot volcano that can be seen for hundreds of miles away.
At the time we were living in Victoria and could almost always see Mount Baker in the distance so one weekend, we invited our friends Karen and Nick and set off for some exploring.
To get there, we had to board the ferry on Vancouver Island out of Schwartz Bay to Tsawassen, and then cross into the Washington State at the Peace Crossing. That did not go as well as we had hoped. We had lined up to pass through customs and while preparing our passports, Yim said, “Oh oh. Mine is outdated”. Her passport had expired a few months earlier and so we drove up to the Customs Guard and Yim said, “My passport is expired and I didn’t check and we’ve rented a cabin for a nice long weekend with our friends and what should we do !?”
The guard was exceptionally nice and said, “What you are going to do is go and and enjoy a nice weekend together and when you get home, you are going to go to the passport office and get yourself a new passport. Have a nice trip”.
and off we went…
We started our first day with a visit to the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, which extends more than 140 miles along the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains from the Canadian border to the northern boundary of Mt. Rainier National Park. It was a wet day but the forest was a delight – moss covered trees and rushing waters made the day a lot of fun before we headed up Mount Baker.
The North Fork Sauk Trail is 5.5 miles long – the protected portion of this trail that is included in the network begins only when you have entered the Glacier Peak Wilderness which is about .5-.75 mil from the trailhead.
This is a true Pacific northwest old-growth forest. From the very start of the trail there are giant old trees. The dominant tree species is Western Red Cedar, the oldest of which are estimated to be 800-850 years old.
Some trails go to lakes, some to high viewpoints. This trail is all about the forest. Old-growth trees reached for the sky on either side of a brush-free trail. The trail is mostly used by backpackers to access the Pacific Crest Trail but a day hike of a mile or two like we did satisfied us. We were the only people on the trail in March.
Mount Baker
Mount Baker Highway (State Route 542) stretches from Bellingham toward snow-capped Mount Baker. The highway was built gradually in the late 1800’s as an access road for the lucrative logging industry, and its rich history is well documented. At Glacier, the road passes into the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and is a designated National Forest Scenic Byway.
Towering evergreens line the drive, with glimpses of the Nooksack River peeking out at several points. In the winter months, the road ends at milepost 55, which is the Mount Baker Ski Area – holder of the world record for snowfall in a single season and the birthplace of snowboarding.
The North Fork
The North Fork Beer Shrine and Wedding Chapel in Deming, Washington was describer to us as a good place to enjoy a pint and a pizza. The name screamed out that we visit.
The place is small, with two main rooms, and the Beer Shrine, which was a double glass display case full of collectible (and not so collectible) beer bottles, separating the two. The homage to beer is evident everywhere. Coasters frame one window, that is flanked by serving trays from Blue Moon and others. A swirling Olympia beer sign hangs beside a shadow box-like ancient Rainier Beer display. “Free Beer Tomorrow!” exclaims another decoration and a pair of Rainier Beer skis hang over the service window to the small kitchen.
We had such a good time here. We all enjoyed different pizzas followed by Death By Chocolate Gluten Free Torte for dessert and off we went.
Back to Victoria.
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