[Matt]

Date: 2/25/2017 Destination: Dock Butte 5239 (2299P) and Point 4413 (433P) [USGS Baker Pass] Night Trip: Yana Day Trip: Matt, Steph Abegg, Dicey, Dave Creeden, b00, Monty Vanderbilt, Will Segall, Cartman With a mostly sunny forecast for Saturday, we planned to go somewhere with big views. We decided to visit Dock Butte. In summer, that's a 1.75 mile hike from the trailhead. In winter, we had to start all the way down on the Baker Lake Road, using a route described by raising3hikers. But it would be a good workout, and the area looks better in its winter garments. As the weekend, approached, the weather window became smaller and smaller, and closed entirely before we reached the summit. But it was still a fun trip with a good group of friends, and even included a smaller bonus summit on the way out.

Dock Butte GPS track

Dock Butte route, showing the scenic views we might have had of Baker and the Sisters Range

The Night Trip On Friday, the forecast showed clear only in the early morning, so Yana announced she would hike up the night before. I didn't realize that she literally meant to hike all night. At 5:10am, her Spot track showed she had been hiking since 10:10pm. While we driving through Sedro Wooley, her text message announced that she was on the summit. For her efforts, Yana received a bit of sunlight and color on the crest, but not much.

Yana's Spot Track, note the timestamps at left

The Day Trip Out starting point was an abandoned road that branches off the Baker Lake Road FS11 about a third of a mile before that road splits with the Loomis Nooksack Road FS12, almost on top of the Skagit/Whatcom county line at 1107 feet. Yana had helpfully texted that we would want snowshoes to avoid post-holing in the shallow snow on the road. We hiked the road about a half mile, then veered off in the wrong direction. What we actually wanted was a much more overgrown road that basically invisible in the swampy flats, and switchbacks up the rib eastward. Anyway, the road was too brushy to use, so we just made our way uphill, temporarily snowshoeing on dirt, ferns, and brush till we switched back to boots. After a couple hundred vertical feet, we got into better timber and made steady progress up to a flat bench at 2100 feet. There was even some sunshine through the trees.

Putting on snowshoes at the start

Hiking up the rib

Steph & Dave running away uphill

At the bench, we deliberately veered right to get on the rib crest above a steep creek valley that lay to our north. This put us in open forest for easy hiking all the way up. Lower down, there were some huge old stumps showing the platform marks of logging long ago. We made steady progress uphill on hard packed snow, switching to crampons and spikes when it got steep around 2800 feet, and then to snowshoes when we found fresher snow around 3200 feet. At 3700 feet, we reached the summer road, and there was Yana sitting right next to it.

One of the smaller stumps in the woods

Open hiking up the ridge

Deeper snow and sunshine

We found Yana

To my surprise, the road was actually groomed, which made an easy half mile hike to the trailhead. There was a bit of blue sky overhead, but all the peaks around us were hidden clouds, and light snow began sprinkling down. Only two snowmobiles came by, so we weren't too much disturbed by the sound that Yana described as "like mosquitos, but much louder."

Dicey and b00 hiking up the road.

Cartman hiking up the road

At the trailhead, we benefitted greatly from the tracks that Yana had already punched in the night before. There were also snowmobile tracks wandering around, but Yana's track went straighter, except for the places it didn't. We followed the ridge up higher and snow came down faster. Although there were no views today, this is the kind of ridge I expect would be a delight to hike in clear weather, winding upward through broken stands of trees and meadows. Although the weather cooperate out today, I consider it worth the attempt for the special winter appeal it might have on a luckier day.

Cartman hiking up the trail

Cliffs and icicles down below

Hiking up into the snow

More hiking up in the snowstorm

Thicker weather higher up

The final section of Dock Butte is a narrow fin sticking up into the sky. Wary of cornices, most of the party traversed a bit on the north slope. That was stable today, but the open slope could be a big avalanche hazard at some times. Cartman went right up the nose of the rib, which is a better route, but requires care to avoid any cornices overhanging the south side cliffs.

Approaching the final rib

Hikers disappearing into the storm

Snowy rimed tree along the crest

More rimed trees along the crest

Final steep bit to the top

With cold wind and snow, we didn't linger long on top.

Most of the group on top, including Will's shiny jacket, Dicey's snowflake nose, Brett stabbing Dave, Monty's bagel, and Steph's Fruite Loops

Me on Dock Butte

We hiked back down our tracks.

Dave disappearing down the crest into the storm

A pause to put snowshoes back on, after booting on the steep part

More snowflakes and rime

An almost clear moment while hiking down

More people hiking down

Running along the ridge

Descending snowshoers

At a calmer area, I paused to have my soup and tea, and tried to persuade others it would be fun to hike over tree-covered Point 4413 on the way out.

me with my soup and tea (Steph Abegg photo)

last group shot

Dave kindly agreed to go with me to Point 4431. As we hiked upward, we heard could hear a rising crescendo of snowmobile howls from the trailhead, and then silence. It sounded like the motorized beasts were massacring our companions in the parking lot and then pausing to rest and clean the blood and gore off their tracks. Meanwhile Dave kicked almost all the steps up 4413's southwest ridge. On our way up, we actually had the clearest view of the day, revealing part of Lake Shannon, and most of the Dock Butte Ridge. The summit was covered in trees, but I forgot to take any photos anyway. We followed 4413's east ridge down, and hit the road almost exactly at our approach trail. The side trip took about an hour.

Might Point 4413, viewed from the Dock Butte trail

Brief view down to Lake Shannon

Brief view of most of Dock Butte

Stats: 11.9 miles, 4900 gain, 10:00 hours

[Stefan]

looks like a great time with a solid group!

[Yana]

[iron]

fun group. i wish we had tagged your other summit, but we had too much in tow.

[mike]

I wonder what an approach via Bear Ck Rd would be like...??

[puzzlr]

Matt, your photos capture the day very well. This one doesn't stand out as a thumbnail, but you managed to get quite a few of our group in open areas at the same time. My favorite

[Matt]

Check out Monty's photos for a lot of good shots of travel in the forest. The Google Earth overlay of our track at the top of my report is also from him. And Steph Abegg has a good report, including a great photo of hiking on dry ground wearing snowshoes: http://www.stephabegg.com/home/tripreports/washington/northcascades/dockbutte

[Matt]

[Dave Creeden]

Dallas Kloke's Winter Climbs book lists three routes for Dock Butte, include one via the Bear Creek approach. Here's the description. Access: Drive the Baker Lake Road just past the bridge over Bear Creek. (about 9 miles.) Take a left hand turnoff and follow it for 1.0 mile to where it forks. Park car here (1,000 feet) or continue as far as possible. Route: East Ridge - Using the Bear Creek approach, follow the spur road to its end and then climb up a clear cut area into a timbered slope. Continue up along a forested ridge which narrows at one point with a steep open slope on the left. Near the peak, follow the northeast ridge to the summit. Time: 4 hours Avalanche hazard: I

[cartman]

The Northeast Ridge--which I took up and down and Dave & Steph took down--was not corniced but is a bit narrow for a short stretch, and is no-slip terrain on the south side. I was able to snowshoe all the way up it in 1-2' deep snow.

[mike]

[contour5]

[oneeyedfatman]

Nice effort! Love the photos of people working their way up the final crest. That was a long approach, even with the shortcuts. The variation in the snowpack and on-and-off with the snowshoes must have gotten a little old. Years ago, in August, I also did Pt. 4413 as a sidetrip from a hike up Dock Butte. It was memorable, all in bad ways. A few bits from my notes: "... an evil bushwhack through a weed-choked clearcut. Hot, and worst bugs I've ever endured in Western Washington, bar none." I think you chose the better time of year for this one, even factoring in the long approach.

[Matt]

Yes, for any places that have brush or old clearcuts, the winter snow cover can make travel a lot easier.