Picture Lake

I always wanted to go to Mt. Baker to take pictures. I can see Mt. Baker in the distance from my home. After Mount Rainier, Mount Baker is the most heavily glaciated of the Cascade Range volcanoes; the volume of snow and ice on Mount Baker, 0.43 cu mi (1.79 km3) is greater than that of all the other Cascades volcanoes (except Rainier) combined. It is also one of the snowiest places in the world; in 1999, Mount Baker Ski Area, located 14 km (8.7 mi) to the northeast, set the world record for recorded snowfall in a single season�1,140 in (2,900 cm). My friend Eti eventually suggested to go up there to Picture Lake to take sunset photos and later on stars. Oh well, little did I know how beautiful this area is and little did I know how remote it is. For the sunset there were still some other people taking photos. But none of them obviously planned to take the stars. It became pitch dark. My car was parked down the road and here we were looking at this beautiful night sky and the totally visible Milky Way. Not being used to night photography I have to admit, I was scared to say the least. On top of a mountain, with nobody else around, just the two of us, I really didn't want to think about what could happen. Thankfully our jackets were not warm enough to hang in there any longer and we retreated in my warm car and made our way home. It was a wonderful experience and I am really thankful that she showed me that. Next time however, I think I drag my husband along. Two women alone in the wilderness..... hmm, I think it's not to bad of an idea to have a "bodyguard" coming along.