Mt Baker
Mt. Baker Easton Glacier 3-Day Summit Climb with Craig Van Hoy and Northwest Mountain Guides
Mount Baker- 2-Day Coleman/Deming Glacier Route (North-Side) $695
and 3-Day Easton Glacier Route (South-Side) $795
At 10,781 Feet Mount Baker is truly one of the most picturesque mountains in all the Cascade Range.
Baker has the second largest glacial system in the lower 48 States second only to that of Mount Rainier.
In 1998 Mt. Baker’s annual snowfall exceeded the world record held on Mount Rainier since the early
1970′s with an amount of 95-feet.
We guide two different routes on Mount Baker, the Coleman/Deming Glacier on the North-Side of the
peak and The Easton Glacier on the Southern flanks. Both routes offer a great introduction to roped
glacier travel and basic mountaineering. For those short on time or looking to combine Baker with
another climb in the Cascades (Mt. Shuksan) or Olympic mountains the Coleman/Deming Glacier is
a good choice. We meet in Bellingham or in the small town of Glacier, WA to begin our trip. After a
3-4 hour hike we reach our scenic high camp at about the 6,000 foot level. Our camp is located at the
base of the glacier and out evening will be spent setting up camp, covering some basic mountaineering
skills and eating an early dinner before bedtime.
On day two (Summit Day!) we get a pre-dawn start and your guide leads the way up the glacier by using
a headlamp attached to his climbing helmet (you have one to-LOL). We make our way up the glacier and
finally to The “Roman Wall” and then the final summit crater. We return to our high camp by late morning,
pack up, hike out and then grab a much needed sandwich and beverage in the town of Glacier, celebrating
our success.
The Easton Glacier Route is climbed using three days which give us more time on the mountain to refine
our basic mountaineering skills. We also have the option of using day two or three as a, “weather day”
as we have on our Mount Shuksan climbs for many years now. The approach to the Easton Glacier begins
in meadows and eventually ends up in dense old growth forest, then high alpine meadows to reach the snow.
Our high camp is in a wonderful location between the 5000-6000 foot level. We have the option to climb on
the second day if we are feeling well and the weather looks good, other wise we train more on day two and
go for the top on our final day. After our summit attempt we climb back down to our high camp. On the final
day we hike out to our cars and grab a bite at “Bobs” near Sedro-Woolley to conclude our adventure.
I hope you can join us in 2011-2012 on our Mount Baker Climbs!
Craig Van Hoy, Director
