Snow Clearing on Mount Baker

The Mount Baker Scenic Byway is called a scenic byway for a reason. It quickly conveys you up to ski fields enjoying the highest snowfall of all of the lower 48 states and vistas of snow-capped mountains in every direction... and the views are even better if you can make it up to Artist Point... which you can't at the moment.

The locals we talked to said that authorities don't usually manage to clear the roads until late July/August. One year they said there was a record snowfall - 100 feet fell over the winter (about 30 metres)  - so they didn't get the road cleared at all that year.

So when we reached the Mount Baker Ski Fields and the final five kilometres to Artist Point was behind a "road closed" sign, we weren't surprised.

But after our experience at the Washington Pass we decided that perhaps going on foot past road closures might be a good approach any time we come across them.

So I set off on my own to check it out and about a kilometre into the walk, I realised I wasn't going to get any further in my little mesh running shoes. The snow-clearing bulldozers had done a great job to that point, but from there on in, it was slush followed by thick packed snow followed by powder snow and more snow and more snow.

But I'd never seen a snow clearing operation before and knowing my boys would find it equally cool, I made my way back to Bessie and then dragged the whole family back down the road for a look.

When we all made it back to where the bulldozers were working, one was in the process of pushing sections of snow over the switchback and large chunks of it were tumbling down the mountainside.

We spent about half an hour watching it operate and shouting "AVALANCHE!!!" every time the snow boulders went flying over the edge.

Then Nath decided it was time to don his Rocky IV persona and (in his running shoes) decided to hike up through the often knee-deep snow to Artist Point (another four kilometres on).

He swears to me that No, he wasn't playing 'Hearts on Fire' during the ascent, but I think we all know he's lying.

The kids and I climbed up an embankment to check out a parked bulldozer and played for a while in the snow before we took our time heading back to Bessie, continuing our snowball fights and writing our names in the walls enroute.

Nath arrived back about a minute after us, having drawn surprised looks from the two cross-country skiers who had made the same trek in more appropriate attire.

We camped the night at the Silver Fir Campground beside another beautiful creek and when we woke, set off to check out the Nooksack Falls, a triple-header of epic beauty (if you push your face up really close to the wire fence so you can look through unimpeded).