So my pictures don't do this weekend justice! Mt Baker (a volcano) and its surrounds, numerous sharp peaks all vastly higher than anything east of the Mississippi, formed a wintery heavenland. I have heard that Baker has received more snow (the 98 - 99 ski season) than any other resort ever - at something like 1140 inches. Last week, it broke the record for snow in one week - (or so I heard). This is phenomenal, as the inbounds area of the ski resort tops out probably 3000 ft. shy of the 10,781 ft summit of Mt. Baker.
For miles and miles it was underpopulated, forested and perfectly serene. The weather was extraordinary - the snow could have been fresher, but it certainly was acceptable. We bunked up with 15 people total in a house made for 10. All 14 of the other people were younger than me, and about 13 of them were engineers.
If you have never been surrounded by towering snowy peaks - this is a phenomenal place to start out. Riding up the lift, I felt as if I could have just as easily been staring at the Alps.
And - our new car was a champ! Fit all our friends (not all 15 were our friends of course..), all our gear, and went through the snow just wonderfully. And - I skied (without knowing it) my first double black diamond - granted it was mostly smooth - but I got down it, several times, unscathed-like. Gregg's also had an exciting weekend - aside from discoloring and swelling up his entire upper left leg after a tree collision, he also shared a bed and a pillow with another man.
