If you like the outdoors, Washington is an amazing state. Even our local parks are truly beautiful. Justin and I make it our point to take the family to lots of natural places and the summer is the time to do it. For at least three months, the gray and gloom gives way to sun,degrees in the seventies, no humidity and no bugs. That’s right no bugs, a hikers dream. These next three posts are devoted to some of our most recent adventures.
Morgan loves to play in the summer grass
Recently my dear friend Anna came to visit us.
She had never met the girls and she is really a loving Auntie.
One Saturday Justin played with the girls while I took Anna to the Mt. Baker national forest. This area is about an hour from our house and overlap with parts of the north cascades national park. Mt Baker. “After Mount Rainier, Mount Baker is the most heavily glaciated of the Cascade volcanoes; the volume of snow and ice on Mount Baker (0.43 cubic miles or 1.8 cubic kilometers) is greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes (except Rainier) combined. It is also one of the snowiest places in the world; in 1999, Mount Baker Ski Area, located 14 km (8.4 mi) to the northeast, set the world record for snowfall in a single season—1,140 inches (95 feet or 2,896 cm) (wiki).” Yes you should visit and go skiing! Anyway, Anna and I took a great hike. I was unable to hike last summer so it had been a while since I had been, it was just as amazing as I remember.
The Road up to Aster Butte trail head
Looking out at Mt. Baker from the trail
Anna cooling off in the fresh spring
The snow line is pretty low this time of year so most of our hike was on snow. It is great when its 80 degrees you are hiking in the snow.
A view of goat mountain.
Anna was brave enough to swim in the glacial water of the Nooksack River
Old growth cedar
Nooksack Falls
