Snowshoe Sunday

Joe Meche is president of the North Cascades Audubon Society and also serves the chapter as newsletter editor and birding programs coordinator. He has been watching birds for over 50 years and photographing birds and landscapes for more than 30 years.

As I’ve related in the past, I discovered my place in the Pacific Northwest a few years after Lewis and Clark, as well as a few other explorers of note. My own research came from the perspective of an extremely cold Colorado winter and led me here 32 years ago, this March 17. As well as I could glean by poring over numerous maps and information packets I received from chambers of commerce from Portland to Blaine, Bellingham looked like the place I needed to be.

On all the maps I scrutinized, I saw a city of comfortable size situated between two of western North America’s major cities. More importantly, I saw a city on a saltwater bay with easy access to one of America’s most beautiful mountain ranges. As the crow flies, it’s only 30 miles from cobble beaches to year-round glaciers. The diversity of spectacular scenery is obvious to any visitor. Add to that the fact that this place we call home is exceptional in the variety of recreational opportunities the area has to offer.

If you’re new to the neighborhood and need a bit of convincing, consider the concept behind the annual Ski to Sea Race. While the race itself has become, to many people, a bit more competitive than recreational, the primary objective behind this event is to showcase the range of recreational potential that exists right here in the fourth corner of the realm. The race begins amidst glacier-clad peaks and ends on the beach at Marine Park in Fairhaven.

This race features everything from downhill and cross-country skiing to running, road biking, canoeing, mountain biking and saltwater kayaking. The ability to engage in snow-related activities in the morning and return to sea level for an evening sail is something to which very few parts of the country can lay claim. We are truly blessed with a wealth of opportunity and we always wish we had more time to enjoy it. For bird watchers, it’s mountain species in the morning and shorebirds in the afternoon and evening. Carpe diem!

In our too-busy lives, Cindy and I had an occasion for a Sunday getaway in early February, so we planned a short day trip to sample the snow up the Mt. Baker Highway. The Sunday we chose turned out to be the same weekend as the Mt. Baker Ski Area’s Legendary Banked Slalom event for snowboarders. Given the lay of the land and the overall size of the area, it was easy enough to turn off the main highway well short of the action and avoid the crowds. This was, after all, a day for exercise and rejuvenation.

The drive east from Bellingham provides an opportunity to see wintering bald eagles in a number of locations along the way, though we didn’t expect to see the larger numbers of December and early January. Many eagles frequent the Nooksack River area between Deming and Kendall during the seasonal salmon runs and hundreds of these magnificent birds have been observed in peak years.

In February, it’s pretty late in the season for the large numbers that are on the river in December. The heavy, flooding rains and higher water levels in January washed most of the salmon carcasses farther downstream, so our expectations were not too high. The dozen or so eagles that we observed all seemed to be in pairs — a sure sign that the nesting season is at hand.

After a 46-mile drive from home, we unloaded in the parking lot just off the main highway and donned snowshoes to travel on the snow-covered road toward Hannegan Pass. The parking area was full so we knew that we would be sharing the experience with others. Aside from the occasional encounter with fellow travelers, however, it was backcountry quiet, except for the sounds of our own steps and the steady flow of the river.

It’s always interesting to return to an area that you know quite well from snow-free trips in summer and fall, to see the obvious contrast that winter offers. Throughout the year, the beauty of this area is highlighted by travel on this road that follows the North Fork of the Nooksack River, with the occasional stunning view of the hanging glaciers of Mt. Shuksan, just across the valley. For warmer days and especially after the nagging, biting insects have fled, you might consider a trip into the Nooksack Cirque. This dead end lies at the base of Mt. Shuksan and has been dubbed by seasoned hikers as the one of the most dramatic spots in the North Cascades.

It takes an unusual amount of grit to make your way to the cirque itself by bushwhacking through alder thickets and over talus slopes, usually with wet boots adding to the challenge. The best time to hike into the cirque is in the fall when you can walk the river bed most of the way. When I was younger by 30 years, it was challenging fun, albeit a bit masochistic. Today, I am more inclined to reminisce — but feel free to check back with me later.

In the mountains in winter, birdlife is often at a premium. The gray jays and common ravens that remain at higher elevations are keenly aware of the handouts to be found at the peopled places, like ski area parking lots and trailheads. If your plan for the day is to see large numbers of birds, you should explore the lowland habitats. If solitude is your pleasure, head for the hills.

The trail we followed on the roadway was hard-packed snow and we stopped occasionally to listen for bird sounds along the way. One rolling flock of about 50 pine siskins provided our birding highlight about two miles up the road. We took a fork off the Hannegan Pass Road to the end of a narrow forest service road, where we stopped at the Nooksack Cirque trailhead. On a late lunch break there, we encountered a small flock of black-capped chickadees. I had hoped for glimpses of pine grosbeaks and crossbills, but we settled for quiet and chickadees. The point of the trip was just to be there for a while and listen to the sounds of silence.

To paraphrase an article that was published in the North Cascades Audubon Society’s newsletter in January of 1973, there’s no excuse to loathe the winter months because of the gloom and rain, cold weather and snow, because the North Cascades are as beautiful this time of year as any other. If you feel that you might be suffering from cabin fever in the winter, simply get out of the cabin and embrace the uniqueness and beauty that winter and our unique backyard have to offer. §

O, wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?