Trip Date: August 4-5, 2019

East Portal Peak Hiking Trip

Table Mountain Pass
Ptarmigan Pass
Camp Kiser
East Portal Peak (6520’+)

Trip Report Summary

Region: Northwestern Washington Cascades

Sub-Region: Mt. Baker Massif

Area: Mt. Baker Wilderness

Starting & Ending Point: Chain Lakes / Ptarmigan Ridge Trailhead at Artist Point at end of Highway 542 (Elev. 5080 feet)

Way Points: Table Mountain Pass & Ptarmigan Pass & 14 Goat Arm & Camp Kiser & East Portal Peak summit & East Portal Bench (trail hike)

Campsite: East Portal Bench (Elev. 6400 feet)

Summit: East Portal Peak (hike via trail)

Approximate Stats: 12 miles traveled; 2900 feet gained & lost.

Full Trip Report

I joined Doug M. and his group of five young adults for a short but delightful backpacking trip in the Mt. Baker Wilderness.  Doug is a fellow geologist who spent over 40 years teaching earth sciences in the Bellingham area, along with a stint of guiding glacier climbs.  As such, few people can match his knowledge of Mt. Baker geology and his ability to convey that knowledge onto others.  Of course, this gift comes with a price: you must suffer through his vast arsenal of geologic puns.  I was more than willing to pay up, and I managed to land a few “PUNches” of my own in return.

Day 1: Trailhead to East Portal Peak

I pulled into the large, bustling parking lot at Artist Point in mid afternoon.  Because this was a bluebird Sunday, the place had a circus-like atmosphere.  I quickly got ready and began hiking out the Ptarmigan Ridge Trail.  Doug’s group had left a few hours previously, so I hurried to reach their campsite at East Portal Peak by dinnertime.

The trail was well-maintained and wonderfully scenic, thus warranting many photo stops.  As the miles ticked past, the scenery improved and the stream of day-hikers diminished.

I strode through the boulders of historic Camp Kiser and then surmounted East Portal Peak, gaining the rocky summit in late afternoon (2.6 hours + 2000 feet from TH).

Following a brief summit stop, I backtracked a few hundred yards and dropped down to the east.  Doug’s group was camped on a small bench below the crest.  As hoped, I arrived just in time for dinner.

Throughout our dinner, Doug regaled us all with anecdotal stories gathered from a lifetime of mountaineering and as a member of “The Glacier Brush Buffalos.”  Perhaps most notable was his participation in the very first Picket Traverse as a teenage field assistant to Roland Tabor.  Because none of the young folks in our group understood the significance of this event, I explained that it was the Cascadian equivalent of accompanying Neil Armstrong on the first moon walk!

After dinner, we all scrambled up to the ridge crest to watch the sunset.  It was a perfect evening: warm weather, no wind, and no bugs.

Day 2: East Portal Peak to Trailhead

The night had been mild, and we were all up early to watch the sunrise.

Breakfast was served with many more anecdotal stories, so the sun was hot by the time we were packed up and ready to go.

This being a Monday, we were surprised at the large number of people—both day hikers and backpackers—coming up the trail.  Apparently, Mt. Baker’s magnetic attraction is not limited to weekends.

We stopped below Coleman Pinnacle long enough for one of our members (Danny) to run down to “14 Goat Lake” and jump in the icy water.

The remainder of our exit was spent dodging other hikers until we reached the parking lot (3.4 hours + 900 feet from camp) in afternoon heat.  Our very fun trip was capped off with pizza in Glacier and watermelon at Doug’s house.

Route Map

Photo Gallery

Click to enlarge…