Skyline Divide — Friday, Sep. 3, 1999

North Cascades > Mount Baker Area

We headed to this popular trail during the Labor day weekend and expected a lot of people. It was a cloudy day and there were about 20 cars in the parking lot (by the way, the drive up on the dirt road was long and annoying). We started around 11:50am. The walk in the forest was good. We reached the first ridge around 12:50pm and were very pleased to see the awesome views of Mt. Shuksan and Mt. Baker, the latter mostly in the clouds. There were many other peaks in the distance. The bugs were also delighted to see us and we couldn't sit around for long. The up and down trail lead to a second ridge, and then to a split - left to a third ridge, already occupied by people with tents. We turned right, enjoyed a nice walk with similar views, and rested on the fourth ridge around 2:40pm. The views were great, including the Puget Sound. The trail continues, but it was getting cold. So we headed down around 3:10pm and reached our car around 4:50pm. Again, this hike is best suited for a sunny week-day.