Trip Date: August 8-9, 2022

Mt. Baker Climbing Loop & Summit Camp

Crag View Saddle
Squak Glacier aka Squock Glacier
Mount Baker: true summit aka Grant Peak aka Koma Kulshan (10,781/10,773 ft)
Easton Glacier
Railroad Grade
Schrieber’s Meadow

Trip Report Summary

Region: Northwestern Washington Cascades

Sub-Region: Mt. Baker Massif

Areas: Mt. Baker National Recreation Area & Mt. Baker Wilderness

Starting & Ending Point: Park Butte / Schriebers Meadow Trailhead at end of Schriebers Meadow Road #13 (Elev. 3350 feet)

Loop Way Points: 4600-foot saddle & Crag View saddle (trail hike & snow hike); west crater saddle & Mt. Baker summit plateau & west crater saddle & Easton Ridge (snow climb); Railroad Grade & Rocky Creek crossing & Schriebers Meadow (trail hike)

Campsite: Summit plateau (Elev. 10,750 feet)

Summit: Mt. Baker (snow climb via Squak Glacier—Upper Deming Glacier; descent via Upper Deming Glacier—Easton Glacier)

Approximate Stats: 14 miles traveled; 7600 feet gained & lost.

Related Posts

>>> Mount Baker via Boulder/Park Cleaver—Boulder Glacier – July 2001

>>> Mount Baker via Easton Glacier—Roman Wall – June 1998

>>> Mount Baker via Boulder/Park Cleaver—Boulder Glacier – August 1996

>>> Mount Baker via Coleman Glacier—Deming Glacier – June 1986

>>> Mount Baker via Coleman Glacier—Deming Glacier – June 1977

For several years, Doug and I had been trying to do a climb of Mt. Baker together, and we finally managed to find a two-day window in which weather, health, and availability all coincided. We were joined by Eileen, Brooke, Ellen, Elizabeth, and Erik, for whom this would be either a first or second ascent of majestic Koma Kulshan. For Doug, however, this would be his 83rd ascent over a span of six decades! As both a Bellingham-based geologist and a lifelong Brushbuffalo, there’s little doubt that he knows more about Mt. Baker than any other person—living or dead.

Adding a special twist to our climb, Doug proposed that we do the Squak Glacier route in a “Brushbuffalo style.” That meant hauling full packs more than 7000 feet up the mountain and camping on the summit, which he had previously done numerous times. It sounded like a lot of work, but everyone was eager to try. Eileen and Brooke were especially excited about the prospect of combining a summit camp with their very first Mt. Baker ascent, and we ended up having an unforgettable experience.

Day 1: Trailhead to Summit

Starting at the Schrieber’s Meadow Trailhead on a warm, sunny Monday morning, our group of seven headed up the right-hand fork of the Scott Paul Trail. By the time everyone reached a 4600-foot ridge saddle, it was hot and buggy. We then branched off on a well-trodden climber’s path that went steeply upward through open meadows.

Views increased as the path gained elevation and eventually ended at a snowfield below Crag View. We donned crampons and continued up to a 6500-foot saddle at the base of the Squak Glacier.

For our glacier ascent, Brooke, Eileen, and I formed one rope team, while Doug, Elizabeth, Ellen, and Erik formed another rope team. Brooke led up the glacier on a due-north course, weaving through scattered crevasses.

Overall, snow conditions were very good and crevasse navigation was relatively straightforward. However, the beating sun and calm air made for an uncomfortably hot ascent.

Around 9400 feet, we began angling leftward across the head of the glacier, staying just under some cliffs and pinnacles on the crater rim. Our last break was taken near a distinct 9750-foot saddle on the western rim of the crater, approximately where the Squak Glacier meets the Deming Glacier.

In our zeal to establish a summit camp, Brooke and Eileen and I had gotten far ahead of Doug’s rope team. We were inclined to wait for them at the crater saddle, but the late hour ensured that we would all be summiting after dark. Thinking that we would be more useful by locating a group campsite with some remaining light, we pushed onward.

The final 1000 feet of our ascent took us up a remarkably uniform slope on the uppermost part of the Deming Glacier—a feature often referred to as the Roman Wall. We were now very tired and the snow was very mushy, but at least there was a well-defined boot-track that had been beaten in by previous climbers on the Easton Glacier route.

The sun had dipped below the horizon by the time we reached the top of the Roman Wall and stepped onto the summit plateau. It was now a race to locate a suitable campsite before dark. We hurried across the plateau and found a flat area between the summit cone and snow dome at 9:00pm (12.3 hours + 7400 feet from TH). In the last minutes of twilight, with a stiff wind kicking up, we pitched our tent and piled in.

In recognition of the special nature of a Mt. Baker summit camp, I had brought my 1977-vintage Omnipotent. Despite smelling like an old sardine, it is still my best wind-shedding tent—in addition to being very nostalgic. However, it really has room for only two people, or maybe two-and-a-half people, so the three of us with our gear were crammed in like…yeah…sardines. We had to execute numerous comical contortions to arrange the interior for sleeping!

While waiting for Doug’s rope team to arrive, we melted a large amount of snow for group cooking and drinking purposes.  However, when there was no sign of them by bedtime at 11:30pm, we concluded that they had likely camped at the west crater saddle.

Day 2: Summit to Trailhead

After a surprisingly calm night, we awoke at 4:30am to the sound of footsteps crunching across the summit plateau. We thought it might be Doug’s team, but it turned out to be another climbing party. We went back to sleep until 6:00am, then slowly ate breakfast and packed up our camp before taking a short stroll over to the Grant Peak summit cone.

This was a very satisfying summit for Eileen and Brooke, who had been coveting Mt. Baker for several years (Brooke) or several decades (Eileen). We were surrounded by building clouds, which threatened us with possible rain but added extra texture to the scenery.

We returned to camp, shouldered our backpacks, and left at 8:40am. Minutes later, we encountered Doug, Ellen, Erik, and Elizabeth just arriving on the summit plateau. They confirmed our thinking that they had camped at the crater saddle. Eileen, Brooke, and I descended to their campsite and waited while they finished their climb.

When Doug’s team returned from the summit, he announced a desire to descend the Easton Glacier rather than retracing our steps down the Squak Glacier. We all jumped at the opportunity to complete a loop climb and, shortly after 11:00am, headed down the Easton Glacier. It was far more crevassed than the Squak Glacier but offered a tried-and-true boot path all the way to Easton Ridge at 6200 feet.

After unroping, we finished our loop with a sweaty hike down the Railroad Grade and Park Butte Trail, all arriving at the trailhead shortly before 4:00pm (4.7 hours from crater camp). Despite the heat and bugs and separate camps, it had been a truly marvelous Brushbuffalo adventure!

Route Map

Photo Gallery

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