Before the snow starts falling, my daughter and I wanted to get out for a fall hike. We set our sights on Schrieber's Meadow on the south side of Mount Baker. My ulterior motive was to do a bit of scouting for my return to the Park Butte Lookout!
After a quick lunch in the Mt. Baker National Recreation Area parking lot, we headed out onto the trail. The first section of trail is lined with wooden boardwalks to provide for dry feet on the trail.
The views of Mt. Baker come into view rather quickly from the trail in the meadows. We simply enjoyed strolling through the flat trail, singing our songs to keep cadence with each step.
As we passed through the meadow, we entered into the thick cover of the trees and we were intrigued by the variety of growth in and around the trees.
The greenness of the moss and the variety caught our eyes. We like to play eye-spy, even out on the trail. A pine needle is nestled in the moss, trapped like a fish in coral.
The lushness of the ground cover along the side of the trail is enticing for a mid day nap, but we carried on!
While I knew our destination would not be the Park Butte Lookout, I did want to get to the point on the map labelled "difficult crossing". The crossing is at Rocky Creek. You can imagine the dynamics of this area when the meltwater is raging down, tumbling the rocks and other debris.
Exploring the creek bed, we were able to recognize the different kinds of rock that are lain to rest. Here is a piece of volcanic rock, evidenced by the holes surrounding the surface.
Faintly visible in the background are the peaks of Mount Baker and The Black Buttes rising above the horizon. We spent plenty of time bouldering up and down the creek bed.
We ran down the trail on our way back to the trailhead. Just beating the setting sun as it descended behind the hills. This was our first excursion into this southern approach of Mount Baker. We're looking forward to returning for more exploration on the southern flanks.
Other trail options while you're out there:
Mt Baker - Schrieber's Meadow to Railroad Grade
Park Butte Lookout
Scott Paul Trail
