September 16, 2021 – Mount Baker National Forest – Ptarmigan Ridge Trail
View Route Details: AllTrails Map of our Route
This ended up being our final hike during our spontaneous “let’s road trip for a week to the North Cascades without a plan.” This trail is absolutely amazing. You get gorgeous mountain views the entire time. Trail is incredibly well maintained. It is a fairly popular hiking destination, but the further you go along the trail, the smaller the crowds get.
We got incredibly lucky with the weather as the days prior and after it was gloom, doom, high winds, and rain. We didn’t know how far we’d get to hike along the trail, but turned out we just about made it to the end. Sure, some people can continue on, to summit Baker, but that’s not me.
Parking tip: Requires National Forest Pass or $5 day use fee. Due to Covid they don’t have the pay boxes in the parking lot and the visitor center opens late (11 AM) and closes early (3 PM). We ended up paying for the day pass on our drive home at a Ranger Station. But you can also pay for it online (though don’t count on signal at the parking lot). Just whatever you do, please pay the fee. It’s how they keep these trails maintained.
And off on our final trail of our trip we go. (Yupp, that’s me.) 
Views like this (and even better ones) the entire time. 
David: That’s Table Mountain.
Agnes: I don’t get it. It doesn’t look like a table. Has no legs. Looks more like a castle.
David: It’s flat, like a table top.
Agnes: And so are a zillion other things… (I. Just. Don’t. Get it.)
Marmots! THREE of them. 
Like. Seriously. Just gorgeous. 
Using the wide angle lens of my iPhone. Liking how far cell phones have come. 
This one is actually just all about our shadows. David looks like some creepy apocalyptic scuba diver. 
… 
… 
… 
…I’ve been rendered speechless by the amazing views. 
Checking in on David behind me. Yupp. Still there. Still smiling. 
The ridge looks like a giant ocean wave with a beach full of sand trailing behind. 
Oh, in case you didn’t know. That snowy topped mountain is Mount Baker. 
Me! 
David joining in on the selfie fun. 
Is it two lakes?
(This caption will make better sense at the end of this trip.)
When your lunch break view gives you this… 
…you sit back, stretch those legs, and enjoy taking in the sights. 
Hungarian kolbász (sausage) sandwiches have become our recent go-to on hikes. 
Glacier below and mountain ranges as far as the eye can see. 
Do you see what David spotted? 
Mountain goats! Momma and her curious kid. 
The key to taking panorama pics? Don’t hold your breath while panning the camera. 
Check out all those mountain tops. Oh so many! 
Yeah. We’re pretty darned happy about this hike. 
The valley and river below. Lake off in the distance. I seriously often wonder how people can write trail guide books cause I mean, how many creative ways can you possibly write: mountain, lake, river, rocks? 
Pre-photo shoot head rubs is how I convince him to do pics without his hat on. 
Cause mammoth hair is so much better than regular hat hair. 
Only a little bit of zoom used here. 
This is how close we got. 
Just. So. Pretty. 
Me. Looking like a turtle. 
Less like a turtle, but still feeling my awkwardness when posing for the camera. (This is like photo #16 out of 20.) 
Looking back at the ridge that we hiked to get to the end of the trail to get just a tad bit closer to Mount Baker. It’s not too difficult, but you do have to watch your step in most parts. Some parts are a tad bit of scrambling. Mount Shuksan in the distance! 
There were still quite a few flowers still in bloom even this late in the season, but this little guy was the only one we captured on film. 
One last look back at Mount Baker. 
Aha! Not two lakes, but just one. It’s all about the perspective that you approach things from.
The Hiking Bookworms 
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