It’s suddenly mid-August (how did that happen??) which means I am once again filled with a deep-seated fear that I haven’t spent enough time this summer gallivanting through alpine meadows full of wildflowers. In a partially-successful attempt to assuage this fear, last week, before we headed off to the Adirondacks, I snuck out for a quick overnight up on High Divide, north of Mount Baker. I dropped my bike at the Yellow Aster Butte Trailhead before driving a short way back to the Excelsior Trailhead, then hiked up to Excelsior Pass, along High Divide, and continued past Welcome Pass along the unofficial trail to Yellow Aster Butte and down to my bike. I then rode the 9 mostly downhill miles on dirt and pavement back to my car to complete the loop. This is really a great trip that stays mostly above treeline along the ridge with awesome views in all directions! I’d recommend it to anyone.
I didn’t leave town until the mid-afternoon and got on the trail after 17:00. It was nice to have shade as I cruised up the gently trail to Excelsior Pass, then popped out into meadows just below the pass, where I found a little trickle of water to refill and carry for camp. From here, the route stays above treeline until past the Gold Run Pass trail junction past YAB, for almost 10 miles of constant views - awesome!
First views of Baker from below Excelsior Pass, with some lingering smoke that cleared out as the evening went on.
The trail was covered in millions of grasshoppers which all jumped as I walked past them, creating a moving wave of bouncing insects colliding with my legs, one another, and the adjacent vegetation. The flying bugs traveled through the air in a manner vaguely reminiscent of the mouse trap scene from Mouse Hunt.
Grasshoppers covering false hellebore flowers
I waded through the grasshoppers up to Excelsior Pass, then started my ridge romp, starting by climbing over the top of “Excelsior Peak” and continuing east. The views just got better as the sun dropped lower, and after three miles, my pace slowed as I grabbed out my tripod to start snapping flower photos. The sunset was lovely, I continued along the trail at dusk, passing a party camped near Welcome Pass. I continued another 3/4 of a mile past Welcome Pass and found a pleasant campsite on top of a bump just as it was getting truly dark. I ate some dinner, set up my camera’s self timer to take some star photos while I was peacefully asleep, and crawled into my homemade sleeping quilt and bivy sack.
Lupine above the Quartz Creek valley, with Mount McGuire across the border in Canada in the distance.
A panorama looking north into Damfino Creek, with Damfino Peak on the left, Tomyhoi at middle left with the Border Peaks behind it, and Welcome Butte (Pt. 5845T) with sun on it closer by.
Shuksan at dusk
A Galen solo trip wouldn’t be complete without some dorky self-portraits.
Evening alpenglow on Baker from 2/3 of a mile west of Welcome Pass.
The Milky Way looms over Mount Baker in this composite image - one exposure at night for the stars, with the foreground blended in from a second exposure taken just before sunrise.
I got up before sunrise and made breakfast, then packed up to hit the trail before the first light tickled Baker’s summit. I dropped into the notch just east of camp and climbed up onto Keep Kool Butte as the first rays of sunlight lit up the Mazama Glacier. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning, the views changing with every turn in the trail. At the summit of Keep Kool Butte, I looked down into the familiar tarn-filled basin below Yellow Aster Butte, which I had last visited on a ski trip in January 2025 - it sure looked different in midwinter! I descended into the tarn basin, snapping more photos, then climbed up onto the main Yellow Aster Butte trail and traversed over to the trail junction below Gold Run Pass. Here I put away my camera gear and jogged down the trail to the trailhead a bit past 8:15.
First light of the day on Mount Baker
Another day, another dorky self-portrait
Fireweed on Keep Kool Bute, with American Border Peak and Larrabee to the right
Jagged Ridge close-up, with Seahpo at the left, and Nooksack tower at right
Flowers on the ridge descent down to the tarn basin, with Yellow Aster Butte backlit in the distance, with Larabee’s summit barely poking out behind.
Shuksan reflected in one of the many tarns below Yellow Aster Butte
Old mining equipment below Keep Kool Butte, in the background.
Monkeyflowers along the creek, with Shuksan in the distance.
I threw all my stuff in my panniers and set off down the Twin Lakes Road on my bike, enjoying the cool breeze in the pleasant forest. After hitting the highway, it was a fast few minutes of cruising down 542 back to the Excelsior Trailhead before 9 am. What a great way to start the day!
Bike loaded up and halfway down the Twin Lakes Road
Flying down 542 to the car!