On Saturday, I hiked to the Park Butte Lookout. The reasons for this particular trip were three-fold:
1. It was my final volunteer shift of the summer as a Mountain Steward for the Forest Service. Throughout the day, I encountered:
120 day hikers
25 backpackers
7 climbers
2 trail runners
1 hunter
6 members of a WTA trail crew hiking out
after a week of work
3 horseback riders with 10 horses (they
were hauling out the gear from the WTA crew)
12 dogs
I talked to them about things like where they could and could not camp, trail etiquette, weather conditions, climate change, and why I wear a nametag and have a radio. That last one is always a popular topic.
2. I was doing some fact-checking and reviewing for a new hiking guidebook that is being written about the volcanic geology of the Mt. Baker area. I know a local geologist through a couple of North Cascades Institute classes. He was looking for people to take drafts of different book sections out on the trails to double-check for accuracy and clarity.
3. Hike-A-Thon is almost over and this was my last chance to get in some miles, except for maybe a few quick miles at local parks, as I will be busy spending the last three days of August at all-day staff meetings.
Park Butte Trail through Morovitz Meadows |
I've hiked the Park Butte Trail dozens of times over the years, yet it never gets old. There's a lot of variety in the landscape along the trail and with differences in weather conditions, it's always a different experience. Today was pretty cloudy and cooler than it has been, which was a nice respite from all the full-sun, hot-day hikes I've done this summer.
A tarn below the lookout |
The closest I got to a full view of Mt. Baker all day. |
A tarn in Schreiber's Meadow |
Even though this was the last big hike I'll be doing for Hike-A-Thon, it won't be my last blog post. Next weekend, I'll be heading up to Green Mountain Lookout for a new volunteer program. The miles won't count for Hike-A-Thon since it will be September, but I'll still write a post about the experience, and I'll do a wrap-up post as well with total miles hiked and total dollars earned.