Skyline Divide — Saturday, Sep. 15, 2001

North Cascades > Mount Baker Area

Kris and I hiked this excellent trail through forest to high meadows and a view of Mt. Baker. The trail and the countryside are in great shape, but our big adventure for the day was in returning to the parking lot to find a flat tire. No problem, we'll put on the spare. We have a locking nut and three regular nuts on the tire. When removing the locking nut, the outer portion broke into several shards. This was using a standard jack in the prescribed way. We were now helpless, and just as we negotiated the $150.00 fee for a wrecker to come from Bellingham and tow the car, someone had a can of instant air we could fill the tire with. Thank goodness! We made it home, and right now Les Schwab is banging away at the nut (a several-hour job apparently). Keep this in mind! Thanks to the wonderful people who helped us out with a cell phone, and the air!