Mt. Baker Highway History - Climbs

Years before anyone envisioned the Cascade Wagon Road around Mt. Baker, an Englishman pictured himself ascending its summit. Edward T. Coleman and three others, including John Tennant of Ferndale, climbed the volcanic ridge on Mt. Baker’s main peak on Aug. 17, 1868. They were the first Europeans to scale the 10,778-foot mountain. To celebrate, they created the “Mt. Baker Cocktail,” brandy served over chips of glacial ice.

Today, the Heliotrope Ridge Trail (#677) leads to an outstanding view of Coleman Glacier, which is scaled by experienced ice climbers. Coleman’s exploits inspired numerous Mt. Baker climbs through the late 1800s and early 1900s. Several climbing clubs were formed, including the Mazamas (on Mt. Hood, 1894), The Mountaineers (Seattle, 1906) and the Mount Baker Club (Bellingham, 1911). The clubs’ extensive activity in the area prompted road development even after officials abandoned their plans to build the Cascade Wagon Road.

Sitting around their campfire on Aug. 7, 1909, the Mazamas drafted a proposal to create a Mount Baker National Park. It would encompass Mt. Baker, Mt. Shuksan and their environs. The Mt. Baker Club helped to spearhead the park campaign. Among its members was a Bellingham jeweler named Charles Finley Easton, a self-studied expert on Mt. Baker. His topographic map and scrapbook were “Exhibit A” when the proposal reached Washington, D.C. Decades of wrangling ensued between developers and conservationists. Eventually, the national park dream died.

The Mt. Baker club hosted the first Mount Baker Marathon in 1911, with the aid of the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce. Fourteen racers took off from the chamber offices at 10pm on Aug. 10 in a race to the summit of Mt. Baker and back. Competitors were given the option of hopping a train or driving a car toa certain point, then running 14 to 16 miles on either of two trails to the summit.
Joe Galbraith won the race in 12 hours and 28 minutes.

By the following year, three days of festivities were wrapped around the event. After the 1913 race, mounting debts and a near fatal accident forced the Mt. Baker Club to cancel the marathons. Sixty years later, the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce & Industry launched the Ski to Sea Race. The 82.5-mile relay, held Memorial Day weekend, showcases the county’s recreational opportunities.