Mount Baker National Recreation Area - 2004
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
My next attempt of Mt. Baker would occur during an American Alpine Institute mountaineering course. Our group consisted of three men (including myself), two women, and the male guide. One of the guys was a little disorganized, and we needed to stop at the supermarket for him to get food. We then went to the Park Butte Trailhead and started up the southeast trail to Mt. Baker. During the ascent, Rocky Creek was really flowing, and I lost my cool crossing the creek. I dropped one of my trekking poles into the raging water. So, now I’m working with one pole. Given it is May, the snowfall is pretty deep. Our snowshoes are dropping deep into the snow with each step, and our guide is cruising along.
Late on Day 1, we arrived at the large trees of Sandy Camp. The ladies setup their two-person tent, I setup my two-person tent, the guide and one the male clients each had one person tents. The forecast was precipitation every day and that turned out to be accurate. Day after day were lots of spells of icy rain or snow. The Mt. Baker peak was almost constantly obscured that week. During the days, we worked on self-arrest, crevasse rescue, and various rope systems. We also traveled while roped across the glacier and attempted ice climbs at points that offered those opportunities. After five days, we headed back down the mountain. On the last day, another guide found my trekking pole in the creek and returned it to me.
The sixth day was a rock-climbing day. We were bused out to a crag somewhere overlooking the Puget Sound. It was a nice day of being top roped and learning the techniques of rock climbing.