April 20-21, 2019, Excelsior Peak

David and I were in the mood for a sufferfest, but in light of the uncertain avalanche conditions, we settled on camping on Excelsior Peak and were rewarded with a trip that greatly exceeded our expectations.  We parked at the Excelsior Pass Trailhead along the Mt. Baker Highway (NW Forest Pass required), and enjoyed a pleasant hike through the woods until we transitioned to skinning around 4,100 feet.  As we started to break into the open, we headed climber's right (rather than left to Excelsior Pass) to a ridge which we followed to the summit.  We enjoyed a lazy afternoon in camp on the summit with amazing views of Shuksan and Baker.  The next day (Sunday), we were surprised to find great corn on south facing slopes off Excelsior Pass.  The runs were fairly short, but the excellent ski conditions and scenery made for a grand time.