Dec 30, 2012, Herman Saddled, Mt Baker backcountry

    It was a gorgeous day that's for sure as Luke, Tamar, and I headed out with perfectly blue skies and about 6 inches of nice blower on top of a stable snow pack. We left the upper parking lot not really sure exactly what we were going to ride but headed for the vicinity of Herman Saddle. We took our time because of all the beauty that we had to absorb along the way. There must have been a hundred or more people touring in the area.  We decided to hike up towards Mazama Dome and when we got up on the ridge we took a break for lunch. As we were enjoying the views we heard a faint rumble and looked towards Mt Shuksan and noticed a very large avalanche had just released below the hanging glacier on the northwest face. I happened to have my camera out and captured some decent shots of the slide rumbling down into the valley below. From the ridge we dropped down towards the saddle and then just funneled all the way down to Bagley lake. The snow was awesome except for a little sun crust about halfway down on the south facing side. A short tour with quality results. HAPPY 2013!

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