Tuesday, July 4, 2017

The North Ridge of Mt Baker (10,781 ft) June 29th- July 1st 2017

PC: JDStylos
I remember turning around on Mt Baker last year quite well. Joe and I were around 8000 ft, and we had a long ways to go before we even remotely got close to the ice wall that was ahead. That climb last year was so much more than going for a summit but more like just opening a door for me to a new type of climbing and experiencing what “could” be. In hindsight, there was no way I was going to make it to the top of Mt Baker via the North Ridge last year, but from that climb I did learn what I would need to do to make a solid attempt at it this year.

After our Mt Hood climb just a week ago, I expected to feel more of the fear that I had felt from last years climb, but the majority, if not all of my time on Hood was complete excitement and enjoyment. So when the weather opened up for another climb on either Mt Rainier or Mt Baker, we decided to choose our main objective for this summer, and that would be the North Ridge on Baker.

PC:JDStylos
There's a few things the North Ridge has that our last route does not. The fact that that summit day is more than double the elevation gain is just one of the major differences, but the biggest obstacle that we were going to face would be the the ice cliff that is about 1000ft below the summit. A single pitch of alpine ice (AI) that lies between you and your summit objective, ranging from a difficult AI4 all the way to the nice grade of AI2.

So once the decision was made to give last year's climb another try, we quickly packed up our gear, read as many trip reports as we could and tried not to get our hopes up. I would be lying if I said I thought there was a good chance we were going to get to the summit. Between my fitness, climbing ability, and the fact that this would be only my third attempt at any sort of glaciated mountain and the unknown of how I would respond to the exposure of this climb all made for the perfect mixture for a failed summit attempt. So it came down to having the goal of just giving this climb the best that I could, and most of all taking what I can out of it for next time.
PC: JDStylos


So on the evening on Wednesday the 28th, we drove the four hours north to the Heliotrope trailhead at the base of Mt Baker. We arrived as the sun was setting and we set up the car and climbed into bed and fell asleep. We both slept so well that our 4:00am wake up time moved to 7:30 am. After finally getting out of bed and eating some breakfast we hit the trail with incredibly heavy packs. 45lbs on your back makes for slow moving, but we hiked through the trees,  and across the streams until we broke into the alpine zone. A marmot greeted us along the ridgeline trail that took you to the Hogsback camp. We passed empty tents as climbers scattered the mountain all going for their summit attempts. Last year we had camped at the Hogsback along with all of the other climbers, but knowing what was to come from last years climb we decided we would hike up onto the Coleman-Demming. In an attempt to avoid the crowds and give ourselves a head start for the next day.

Doing the Dishes PC: JDStylos
After climbing up and finding old tent spots from past North Ridge climbers, we set up camp to a neighboring tent. Joe and I spent the afternoon setting up camp, melting water, going over crevasse rescue and trying to break trail for tomorrow's summit attempt. We were outside our tent when our neighbors returned from their climb. We picked their brains on where they went and what they thought of the climb. They were ecstatic, and their success and excitement fueled my fire and was making tomorrow feel more welcome, and almost possible.

PC: JDStylos
We set the alarm for 2:00am with hopes to be out of camp in an hour. We were in bed by six o'clock that evening and we both tried to sleep the best we could. We did wake up to take a quick photo shoot with the mountain and the sunset around nine. After trying to get sleep and with some success, the alarm felt like it came quickly. Before I knew it we were putting our headlamps, crampons, and helmets on, and tied into the rope. The best part was that both Joe and I were feeling great, and excited. With a solid plan, boot path and partnership in hand we left camp seven minutes after three.

We crossed the glacier in a swift and quiet metronome. The sun felt like it came quickly and before we knew it we clicked off our headlamps and were crossing the glacier in the morning glow.

PC: JDStylos
Our first real question of the day came a couple of hours into our climb. Last year, we attempted to gain the ridge by taking the long way around and didn't ever end up getting to the top. So with this years high snow pack, we felt good with taking the short way around and gaining the ridge by climbing the steep 50 degree snow slope. This was the part of the climb that I was most nervous about. Even from our camp it looked steep, and exposed. So when we started to climb up, it quickly steepened and the exposure started to intensify. I was expecting my nerves to get the better of me but they never seemed to come. Taking a deep breath and truly never looking down, Joe and I simul-climbed up across the snow bridge with a gaping hole below that could swallow most small houses. Joe and I gained the ridge, with sunshine finally hitting our faces, our smiles stretched wide across them. It was a relief to have that part of the climb behind us. I looked at Joe and said “well there's no way we’re not summiting today because I am NOT downclimbing that!”
PC: JDStylos

PC: JDStylos
We climbed up the ridge with a steady step until the ice cliff started to take shape and fill our view. As we arrived near her base we scoped out which side looked most climbable for our level. With this being our first alpine ice climb, we made our way right to a shorter section of ice.  Once we climbed up the steep snow to the very base of the ice cliff, we weren't in exactly the best place. The overhanging ice above our heads creaked in the warming sun and as we set up a belay we increasingly felt the need to move through this section of the climb as quickly as we could. I belayed Joe till he was just out of sight. I followed him up through some mixed climbing and arrived to a much safer belay station. Joe racked up and led out a full rope length up AI2 climbing. He was long out of sight, so much so that we knew our voices would fly into oblivion. So after coming up with a rope tug communication system before we started our climb, I waited to feel the three strong tugs that indicated I was on belay.

PC: JDStylos
The three tugs came without question and I started to climb. My first ice climbing since this previous winter and it felt so good to be back plunging my tools into ice and kicking my way up the ice step. The air below my feet seemed to float away for miles and my adrenaline made for what felt like quick climbing. The grade gradually got less steep and before I knew it, I was back in the sun and at the next belay station. Joe and I smiled, kissed, and felt pretty ecstatic to be passed that section of the climb. We had beyond achieved our goal of getting farther than the year prior. With plenty of go still left in our tanks, I belayed him out and we used running pro until we gained the rest of the ridge. We cleaned up our rope system and started making our way to the summit. With only a couple few hundred vertical feet to go, the summit felt so close but the summit of Mt Baker is also a forever walk away across her summit plateau. But, to gain the plateau we still had to walk around massive crevasses, and  over snow bridges that required you to walk with one foot directly in front of the other. It felt like we were on a different planet. With the hard climbing behind us, this last section of the climb felt surreal, it was as if we were walking across the moon..
PC: JDStylos

Before we knew it, we were making our way across the flat summit plateau with Bakers highest point just a couple hundred yards away. We passed climbers taking a rest after making it to the top, and Joe let me take the lead to the 10,781ft summit.

PC: JDStylos
The smile that came across my face was undeniably huge, I hollered out into the air and raised my ice tools with success filling every part of my being. The summit of Mt Baker was not expected, and the feeling of accomplishment caused me to fight back tears. We took our time getting pictures, enjoying the view and celebrated with hot tamales and Milky Way bars. After stepping down from the top to re organize gear we roped up once again and started our way down.

We took the Coleman-Demming for the descent, the much more common way up for most climbers. The climb down was much simpler than the way we came up and it was quite enjoyable to see the other side of the mountain. By the time we made it back to camp our legs were tired but we both felt surprisingly good. Whether we were just fitter than expected or the high from our summit fueled us all the way back to camp- I'm not really sure.
PC: JDStylos


After 12 hours of climbing, we decided to stay at camp, and enjoy one more night on the mountain. We took off our shoes and laid in the tent and relished in the wonderful feeling of success. We celebrated by eating a fancy dinner of Mountain House chili mac and even sneaked some of the next day's food into our evening meal.

Sleep came early for the both of us and gifted us with an incomparable night's rest.  In the early morning hours we listened to other climbers climb past our tent, attempting the North Ridge. I was feeling lucky to have climbed the day before, as we had the entire climb to ourselves. When I opened the tent door after the sun rose, and while I enjoyed my breakfast,  I watched them climb up the mountain like little ants tied together, slowly making their way through the glacier and up the ridge. I couldn't believe that those little ants were Joe and myself just yesterday.
PC: JDStylos


One last time we roped up after packing up camp and made our way down to the Hogsback. Tents were scattered all around and teams of climbers were flooding in. The holiday weekend and good weather brought in the most climbers I had ever seen on any mountain. After we untied and were back on the main trail and we were stopped by plenty of people that were on their way up, asking us about the conditions and our climb. We started to take bets on how many cars there might be in the parking lot. We crossed the streams and over the last bridge until we stepped foot out onto the pavement. Over 100 cars littered the road, we were dumbfounded with the fact that when we arrived there was only eight of us! We changed our clothes and ate a snack before finally hitting the road. With a Mt Baker summit via the North Ridge in the bag, the drive seemed to fly by. That night we enjoyed resting at a hotel and filling our bellies with delicious pizza.
PC: JDStylos


It's hard not to think that this climb was all a dream, honestly everything went exactly how it was supposed to. Looking back on where I was last year as a climber and seeing where I am at now, I’ve grown so much. The difficulty of this climb opens up so many other possible routes that Joe and I have put off because of technicality. Truly, this climb was such an amazing experience, and getting to the top was just the finish. Every part of this climb kept us on our toes and that's what made it so much fun for me.



The Coleman Demming PC: JDStylos
With only ten days left here in Washington before I leave to Montana for a couple of weeks then back to Idaho, I am so glad I have been able to fit two such wonderful climbs in. Fingers crossed that we will have one more adventure together before Joe and I go off on our own adventures for a month and a half!
PC: JDStylos

The Ice Cliff PC: JDStylos

1 comment:

  1. Awesome! And congratulations!
    My favorite line you wrote is: "We crossed the glacier in a swift and quiet metronome." A beautiful image - I could feel the moment.
    I can see a real book coming out of all your adventures someday - great writing and great photos! You two make a talented team!

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