Mt. Baker Highway Still Closed?

**powdherb** · 11-10-2006, 10:28 PM

Does anyone know if the highway it still closed at mm 35? I'm planning on going up tomorrow. Thanks.

BLOOD SWEAT STEEL · 11-10-2006, 11:25 PM

Simple search reveals......

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/pass...ion.aspx#baker

**Bring On The Snow** · 11-11-2006, 12:09 AM

son of a bitch, they better have it cleared up by thusday when there planning on opening

**loamslug** · 11-11-2006, 12:24 AM

I heard one lane was open - for the folks working at the area today. There's a bunch of pictures on Baker's website - it's starting to look good up there.

**straight outta sultan** · 11-11-2006, 12:27 AM

I heard one lane open as well. Should be good up there tomorrow, see you up there powdherb.

**Stikki** · 11-11-2006, 01:15 PM

From the WSDOT stite (as of 12:30pm Friday):

"SR 542 Mt. Baker Highway
The Nooksack River is eating away at the road at milepost 30, five miles west of Glacier. One lane remains open. Crews are working to build a new road 17 feet to the north. This may take several weeks. Skiers will be able to get through during the repair work."

Others:

"US 12 White Pass
US 12 is closed near Randle (milepost 120-130) due to water over the roadway.

SR 410 Chinook
WSDOT cleared the road and it is open to Yakima, but forecasts are calling for significant snow accumulation. The snow may force WSDOT to close the pass before the end of the weekend.

SR 123 Cayuse Pass
This road has sustained serious damage. The pass is closed for the season.

US 2 Stevens Pass
A slide near Index (milepost 37) closed one lane. It has been closed since Tuesday. Alternating traffic is getting by in one open lane. WSDOT crews hope to have a second lane open by the end of the day Saturday. The slide is slow moving and geotechnical engineers have placed monitors and gauges in the slide to track movement. Once they have enough data, they will determine how best to proceed in the short term and the long term.

SR 20 North Cascades Highway
Highway 20 is closed to all but local traffic from milepost 110-171. The west closure point is nine miles west of Newhalem. The east closure point is nine miles west of Mazama. The sliding section of road at milepost 112 dropped 16 inches overnight and WSDOT crews have closed one lane of traffic. One lane is still getting through. We hope to have a second lane open by Saturday afternoon."

**rippah** · 11-11-2006, 01:22 PM

I'm sitting in Glacier right now. Like Stikki said the bank below the road between Maple Falls and Glacier has been eaten away and they seem to be concentrating their efforts on prophylactic measures there. (

)

Past Glacier at mile 35 the road is "Closed". But it's easy enough to drive around it. I wanted to see what damage had happened but we got a few miles beyond 35 and still didn't see what the deal was. Perhaps it was "just around the next bend"...

Unfortunately I ran out of time so turned around. I hope to find the true closure issues today and will post later.

BAKER SLATED TO OPEN LIFTS THURSDAY NOVEMBER 16TH!!!!

r.

Edit to add this photo from the Baker website...
The bears are going to sleep now, winter is here!

**rippah** · 11-11-2006, 06:56 PM

Just got back from the Heather Meadows parking lot. The "Road Closed" sign is still up on the East bound lane just past mile 35. Easy to go around, duh.

Some road crews still working on clean up. About 3 or 4 areas where creeks went over 542 depositing volcanic debris. All easily passible now. Thanks road crew dudes!

About 2 healthy feet in the lot. Temps just below freezing, big clusters of stellars falling at an estimated 1.5" per hour. Winds in the lot from the SW at ~10mph.

Looks fan-fucking-tastic!

Lots of boarders hiking for staightlines on low angles. My boot liners are back in Vancouver!! Fack! Eeedioso!

Oh well. It has begun and I feel fine.

r.

**PulverSchwein** · 11-11-2006, 07:06 PM

good news man, nice beta

**straight outta sultan** · 11-11-2006, 07:09 PM

Just got back from Baker, (sorry no pics) really good in the morning, lots of faceshots with really good coverage. It got sloppy in the afternoon, and lots of slabs releasing off chicken ridge. Big shooting whoomphing cracks were seen, so we took a low angle route down. Be careful out there.

**powdherb** · 11-11-2006, 08:29 PM

Although I was referred by some fellow maggots' wisdom to the wsdot site, there is not a big connection between that site and reality. Thanks anyway.

I just got back from baker. As has been said, the road is "closed" at mp 34, but the roads are completely clean all the way.

Take caution though, the sheriff is ticketing those who trespass this sign with a substantial fee. And fucking you for what other offenses you may have. just ask straight outta sultan. Saw quite a few people pulled over.

Pow was deep. Real deep. Tree well hazards existed, collapsing snowpack, overall somewhat sketchy. Trip Report coming soon.

**loamslug** · 11-11-2006, 10:22 PM

I don't get it - how do the people who work at Baker get there if the road is "closed?" I'm planning on heading up tomorrow for some low angle shots, but I don't feel like dealing with any cops & fines.

**lameduck** · 11-12-2006, 12:30 AM

canyon creek road is open. we headed up there and were trying to get to high divide for some low angle meadows, but didnt make it. im not sure how far we got, i think pretty close to the trailhead, then another 1:30 up to the ridge line. but we were trekking up the road for a few hours. i think we stopped driving around 3000', from then on, snow depth was 6-12"

**PulverSchwein** · 11-12-2006, 03:13 AM

so you're saying if you head up there and try to skirt the sketchy section of road to go hike for some turns, Joe Sheriff is lurking ready to tag your ass.... that's low

**White Chocolate** · 11-12-2006, 03:18 AM

the sherriff that patrols up there is a complete and utter fuckwad. that prick would pull his mom over and give her a ticket for going 3 over the speed limit. Seriously.

Although I did laugh when he pulled hop over for tailgating him, and then wrote a big ticket for expired tabs

**PulverSchwein** · 11-12-2006, 03:24 AM

Originally Posted by White Chocolate

the sherriff that patrols up there is a complete and utter fuckwad. that prick would pull his mom over and give her a ticket for going 3 over the speed limit. Seriously.

Although I did laugh when he pulled hop over for tailgating him, and then wrote a big ticket for expired tabs

ring a bell? wish I coulda been there

**refried** · 11-12-2006, 09:24 AM

He was not amused at all when that picture was taken, figured he'd be just down the road when I left looking to give out DUIs.

**rippah** · 11-12-2006, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by powdherb

Take caution though, the sheriff is ticketing those who trespass this sign with a substantial fee. And fucking you for what other offenses you may have. just ask straight outta sultan. Saw quite a few people pulled over.

As we got to the top I saw the blue and reds flashing ahead. "Oh fuck", I thought... Naw, I'm sure I said it out loud. Where the road splits into one-ways around Picture Lake he had two vehicles pulled over. One was facing the "wrong way" for one-way travel and Sheriff BoyHowdy was writing up a ticket as we crept by. I half expected him to put his arm out and wave us down too but he didn't even look up. That made me think he was writing up a ticket for going the wrong way.

But what's with this "trespassing" crap? Anyone? There were LOTS of other vehicles there and I can't imagine they were all ticketed...

r.