Baker C2C via the Squak Glacier
DATE HIKED:6/19/24
TOTAL MILEAGE: 14 MILES
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN: 7,400’
A few weeks ago Alex and I ticked off a ski that I thought was impossible at the outset of our ski touring career: Baker c2c (car to car). As part of our ski mountaineering course we summited the mountain over the course of two days and that task was monumental for me at the time. Granted, we had to haul overnight packs up the mountain but still, the prospect of climbing the mountain in one day (something I knew people regularly did) felt out of the realm of possibility for me. Fast forward three years and many backcountry experiences later and it suddenly didn’t feel like such a stretch goal any more. Alex and I had a big spring filled with long days in the mountains and we felt ready to tackle a trip that once seemed too daunting to attempt. We picked the Squak Glacier route because it is one of the most straight forward routes up Baker, doesn’t require any stream crossings, and has relatively easy navigation—the majority of the route is visible the moment you break out of the trees.
We arrived to the Park Butte trailhead around 9PM on the 18th and found the parking lot already filled with vehicles. But that was to be expected as the parking lot feeds two Baker routes—the Easton and the Squak—and many guided outfitters go up the Easton. We settled in, got everything ready for the following morning, and set our alarms for 3AM.
*****
The moment we hit the trail it was obvious my headlamp was dying. No matter which setting I put it on the beam dimmed to a barely perceptible glow. Luckily, between Alex’s bright headlamp leading the way and twilight already creeping up the horizon I didn’t need the extra lumens.
After an hour and a half of hiking we broke out of the forest just in time to watch sunrise paint Sherman Peak and the surrounding mountains golden. There was finally sufficient snow for us to transition to skinny here. Unfortunately, that snow was still frozen solid. In retrospect we should have put our ski crampons at the same the time we put our skis on but we were stubborn and I attempted to muscle through the slick slopes on pure grit alone.
Route finding onto the Squak was interesting. We ended up on top of a high ridge and, not wanting to descend and lose precious elevation we worked so hard to gain, we decided to sidehill across some steep slopes. Again, not fun given how firm the snow still was! Eventually we made it onto the Squak Glacier and from there it was smooth sailing. There were a few signs of sagging on the glacier but the route was in great shape, really full and filled in. It was perfect for quick skinning.
We knew we were going to hit a new high in terms of elevation gain in a day on this trip so I made a concerted effort to properly fuel myself, something I unfortunately can’t always say for my time in the mountains. Every hour on the hour I would consume 100-200 calories. I tend to lose my appetite during intense physical activity and have gone entire days in the mountains without properly fueling myself, this has lead to more than a few big bonks. In order to avoid bonking this trip I was strict about fueling, forcing myself to eat a fruit leather or energy blocks or a handful of trailmix or a little smoothie concoction every single hour, even when I wasn’t hungry. The effort proved well worth it. I felt great on the climb. In fact, I can’t remember a day in recent memory where I felt better! Despite the elevation gain ticker constantly going up I felt strong. Wow, the body does really work more efficiently when properly cared for!
The weather forecast called for a bluebird day, but as we ascended the glacier I noticed the tiniest, dare I say cutest, wisp of a cloud below us. It looked harmless, but I’ve seen little puffs of clouds like that before and knew that they have a tendency to grow and grow and grow. By the time we reached the Sherman Crater it had accumulated into a huge mass of clouds. I started to get a little worried we would end up skiing down in a white out, but the clouds appeared to remain wispy and thin.
We continued onto the portion of route I was most nervous about: the infamous Roman Wall. But, I didn’t need to worry at all, a recent dusting of snow and endless climbing groups tamed the steep slope and etched easy switchbacks up the entire wall. It was downright easy!
Alex ascending the Roman Wall
As we ascended the Roman Wall the clouds began to descend and by the time we reached the rim we had converged with the clouds. We were only a hundred feet or so from the summit and since Alex and I had both already been to the tippy top we decided to call the climb and started transitioning to downhill ski mode. As I clicked out of my skis and the clouds promptly broke and it looked like there would be another weather window. I decided to run for the summit. In addition to wanting to summit, I also wanted to get in as much vertical feet as I could, but running at 10,000’ was difficult so I quickly transitioned to fast walking/light jogging. A few minutes later I was standing on the summit—once again engulfed in a cloud I couldn’t quite outrun. I took a quick selfie and then quickly headed back down to Alex who had so graciously transitioned my skis into downhill mode while I was running around on the mountain.
The clouds had proven themselves to be light and ephemeral, we knew they would intermittently break so we waited for the next clearing. The moment they broke Alex led the way, he took a few tentative turns at the top of the Roman Wall before opening up and ripping the rest of the way down. I followed his lead, with a few more tentative turns (just to be sure), but found the snow was primo and opened up with my own fast turns down the wall. We had harvested true spring corn!
The first few thousand feet on the Squak Glacier were pure fun, some of the best backcountry turns I’ve ever experienced. But all good things must come to an end and about halfway down the glacier the snow turned grabby and mushy. I had an inkling that if we skied the Roman Wall in its prime, that would mean the snow down below would be sloppy, but it was still worth it. We lurched our way down the mountain, the snow holding back our boots with each turn.
Just under an hour after we took our first turns down the Roman Wall, we were back at the forest and quickly transitioned back to walking with our skis on our packs.
The hike out through the forest felt so much longer than the hike in. Alex also had some foot pain that made this stretch of trail truly unbearable for him so we took it slow together.
11.5 hours after we left, we made it at the trailhead. I was exhausted but elated. The c2c push went so much better than I had hoped. Between a spring full of big days in the mountains, extra cardio and strength training through the season, and improved fueling, the day sure didn’t feel like the most vert I’ve done in a day, but it was. It is so rewarding to see incremental improvements add up to something big over time! Now onto the next one…
