Shannon Ridge, Mt. Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest
A little more than 2 months after I started my road trip, I arrived in Washington. The first leg took me to the North Cascades National Park, where I had intended on backpacking. After spending the night at the Thunder Creek Campground, I made my way to the ranger station to book a backcountry campsite. I found that my options were limited. Like Yellowstone and Grand Teton, I learned that it’s better to try and book campsites for the North Cascades in advance.
While reviewing a map with the ranger, I pointed out the Mt. Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest. No permits needed. I asked her if she knew of any good campsites up on ridges near Mt. Baker. It must have been my lucky day because this lady absolutely SPILLED THE BEANS. After reviewing four different options, I chose Shannon Ridge.
Shannon Ridge is actually a part of a larger trail that summits Mt. Shuksan, which stands at an elevation of 9,131 ft. (Mt. Baker is 10,781 ft.) In order to summit the mountain, you need climbing gear, so there was no chance I was attempting that. Over the first 4 miles of the trail, I hiked 3500 ft to Shannon Ridge. If I had kept going, I would have hiked right into North Cascades National Park. Here’s a picture of the “USFS” sign signifying the boundary of the Forest Service Land with my tent in the background.
At about 1.8 miles in, I stopped at a creek for water. By then, I had consumed about 1 liter (L) of water, and had planned to consume about 4 L total. My capacity was 2 L. “There should be water up there.”
Foolishly, I decided I didn’t need to carry an “extra” liter of water up a mountain. I realized my mistake once I made it to the ridge. I was at the “top of the triangle”, and there was no snow left. Therefore, there was no water either.
The snow that laid on Mt. Baker across the valley teased me. It was right there. It was not tangible though. I had 3 real options.
- Hike back down to the creek to collect water. ( 4.4 miles round trip, down about 3000 ft vertical.)
- Hike up towards Mt. Shuksan, try to find the glacier that was up there, and collect water from that. ( unknown distance and at least 1000 ft vertical. )
- Tough it out.
As you can imagine, none of these options were enticing prospects. I only had 0.5 L of water left and I still needed water to make dinner. I really didn’t want to continue to hike, which would have required me drinking more water. But if I didn’t go, I would need to use up my remaining water to make food and I’d have nothing left to drink… except for a beer.
A sacrifice needed to be made, and that sacrifice was my beer.
That night, I filled my belly with Beer-Ramen-Potatoes, then slept like a baby. In the morning, I mourned the loss of my beer, but thanked it for providing me with sustenance.
Despite the water issues, Shannon Ridge was one of my favorite backcountry campsites on my entire journey, and I plan to return someday to summit Mt. Shuksan.
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