From left to right, Canadian Border Peak, American Border Peak, and Mt. Larribee. Compare this photo with the one I took from Mt. Shuksan in 1996.
I headed out with the Mountain Westie, hoping to bag Tomyhoi Peak, which I've been interested in for a while, and seemed like a good solo outing, and one the dog would enjoy. Left the house around 7:00, headed north on I-5, and was pleased to see that I got to Bellingham in a little more than an hour. Headed east on the Mt. Baker Highway, and got to the turnoff, just past milepost 46 on the left, with no problems. This is another outing where the approach information in my reference works didn't match reality. It used to be you headed up on "Keep Kool Trail" but no longer. My 101 Hikes in the North Cascades says that you take the Tomyhoi Lakes Trail about a mile past the Keep Kool Trail. However, the Keep Kool Trail doesn't exist anymore, you just drive up the (exceptionally nice) dirt road for 4.5 miles to the Yellow Astor / Tomyhoi Lakes Trailhead (it's on a switchback, and there's the remains of a pit toilet there.)
Assuming it was the Keep Kool Trail, I kept going, and the road got bad really quick. I picked my way up there, in the old Escort Station Wagon, for about .4 miles, then gave up and parked, assuming I was pretty close to the trailhead. Got out to a surprisingly cold morning (it's 9:30 by now) so I put on my Schoeller pants and fleece jacket and headed up the road. We passed a stream running over the road with plenty of ice on its sides, and kept going for a good half hour, well over a mile, and didn't find a trailhead, or any indication that a trailhead was in the offing, so we turned around, got back to the car, drove back to the other trailhead, and headed out. By now, it was about 11:00.
This trail is very well maintained, and easy to hike fast on. Got the first 1000 feet out of the way in half an hour.
The trail flattens out some after that, and in a bowl there's a split; you can go off to the left to Yellow Astor Butte, or go straight on the Tomyhoi Lakes trail. Based on the drawings in the North Cascade Trails book, I headed off the side trail to Tomyhoi Lakes, but once we got to the pass (Gold Bug pass) the trail dropped precipitously, and so I dug out the book and looked again, where I ascertained that the trail dropped some 1600' to get to the lakes. It was really cold; the trail was covered with hoar frost two inches long, and windy. So, timidity being the better part of valor, I snapped a quick photo of the three big mountains looming up there (Larribee, American Border Peak, and Canadian Border Peak) and back up the trail to the Yellow Astor Butte trail, and along it.
This trail skirts around to the left for a good while without gaining much altitude, cutting across the base of the south face of Yellow Astor Butte.
Maisie was quite a good sport about it, despite the cold, she seemed to really enjoy it. I followed the trail, looking at what would have been stellar views of Schuksan and Baker if it hadn't been so overcast, and marveling at the light snow flurries and the cold wind. I was really glad to have to trekking poles along, helping me keep my footing on the icy trail. There were spots where it was just covered with water ice, and very slick. We were following footprints up the trail (you could see them in the snow) and I assumed it'd be a macho guy dragging his girlfriend along; instead, we passed three cheerful elderly ladies with German accents coming down!
The lakes up there were frozen, and it was blowing like I imagine the steppes to be, and in the distance Tomyhoi was just frosted with snow and ice; no way I was going to make it up there without crampons and an ice tool, let alone Maisie. I'd neglected to bring gloves, and my hands were getting awfully cold, but we made it up to the summit of Yellow Astor Butte, and I took some photos up there in the harsh wind, cursing the clouds that blanketed the big mountains, and headed down with, as they say, all deliberate speed.
From the summit of Yellow Astor, looking over to Tomyhoi Peak.
We got back to the car by about 2:30, and headed down, Maisie curled up in my lap. She's such a good sport, but she gets tired and cold. Managed to get back to town in time to pick up Peter from school.