Marissa was in town – so we had to get out on a fun adventure. Unfortunately the weather for the weekend was not cooperating. Our original plans for a longer ski tour didn’t seem like they were in the cards, so we opted for a more conservative plan that we thought we could fit into our narrow weather window.
Herman Saddle is a classic ski tour, and it provides access to a lot of terrain in a beautiful area in the Baker Backcountry. The views of Shuksan and Baker are incredible on a clear day and the open terrain is perfect for getting some laps in. The morning was quite nice despite the ominous forecast, and we got a relatively early start from Seattle to give us enough time to get a run in before the rain/snow mix arrived.
By the time we pulled into the Heather Meadows parking area, there were still some slivers of blue sky left but it was getting blustery and darker clouds had begun to crash into Shuksan and some of the surrounding peaks. You could tell that the weather was rapidly changing. We got started at 9:40 and headed out into the Bagley Lakes basin. I loved touring below Table Mountain and seeing the deep snow soften all the features of the landscape.
We reached the head of the valley and began skinning upwards, looping up towards the saddle. We saw some other parties booting up steeper chutes around us and heard some nasty scraping on their skis as they descended the crusty surfaces. Needless to say – it didn’t seem like the snow conditions were going to be too great.
It had begun to snow lightly, right on cue, and we topped out at the saddle about an hour and 40 minutes after leaving the lot. The weather was surprisingly good here, we had been bracing for stiff winds and precipitation, but it was actually calm and a nice place to take a break. Mount Baker was completely erased in a dark cloud, but Shuksan was trying her best to reveal herself amongst the swirling clouds. Eventually we were hit with a big gust of wind, and it seemed like Mother Nature’s sign to us to get moving.
Katie and Marissa stepped into their skis, I strapped on my splitboard, and we began our descent. The recent snowfall followed by warmer temperatures and sun the previous day had created some strange snow conditions. It was simultaneously crusty and soft, almost taking on a spongy quality. Turning was a crapshoot and I found it best to just sit back on my back leg and hope for the best. This method worked surprisingly well for me and led to some decently fun “turns” despite the conditions.
I think snowboarding might have been better than skiing (for once) because Katie and Marissa, as well as all the skiers we passed, commented on just how hard it was to turn. It was funny to overhear the commentary of all the other skiers.
We eventually made it back down to Bagley Lakes and strapped the skins back on for the last mile or so to the parking lot. The weather had definitely taken a turn for the worse at this point, so we were happy to be returning to the car, content with a fun short day out. For me, ski touring is all about getting outside and seeing beautiful places - not the epic turns or sick lines – and this day was a prime example of that.
On the way back to Bellingham we stopped at Nooksack Falls, which is just a short distance off the Mount Baker Highway. I was impressed by the power of the falls and very happy we stopped.
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