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Trip: BULLEN! - via Squire Creek/Bullen Lakes Trip Date: 06/01/2025 Trip Report: "I felt as if we had joined Sisyphus and his rock in Hell." - HERMANN F. ULRICHS on first ascent of Mount Bullen I mean, who hasn't read the passage above in the Green CAG and decided that they just had to climb Mount BULLEN? Or, maybe I should ask, "Who has?" No matter, @sepultura and @therunningdog were not asking many questions, and that was a good thing for me, since otherwise I am pretty sure we would have diverted to a more "normal" destination on Memorial Day weekend. And by "normal" I mean a mountain with more than one TR on the internet. Which means, after this TR, BULLEN will be officially "normal". Glad we got that all squared away for the masses sure to descend this summer As it was, we didn't see another soul the entire way in or out of the mountains, not on the Squire Creek trail and certainly not in the brush. But we did find several routefinding challenges on the timbered rib above Squire Creek to keep us entertained. And some head scratching to get from the ridge down to Bullen lakes. And some wandering and wondering to find a suitable campsite. But this is what we came for, right? Right guys? I won't spoil the adventure for you, and smooth out the rough edges of your trip to Mount BULLEN!, don't worry. But just know that you can do it without a rope! Which is good, since we didn't have one. Sometimes the crux of these North Cascades blue collar adventures isn't above treeline. But what BULLEN! lacks in technical climbing it makes up for in ...uhhhh... fun? Just make sure you go with partners as entertaining as I had. If you play your cards right, you'll laugh, you'll drink some whiskey, you'll banter like old times, you'll marvel at your luck finding such solitude on a busy holiday weekend, and you'll come out to toast your success at the Red Top. Because, is there any more to the Chossdawg life? I'll get some captions in later this week.... Gear Notes: ice axe, crampons, leather garden gloves, helmet (though we opted not to) Approach Notes: Squire Creek for awhile and then follow your choss urges upwards and then downwards to Bullen Lakes, then around the lakes to the south, and then up. Retrace your steps back to the car, since you won't figure a better way most likely than they way your choss urges guided you in originally. It seemed better in snow, but I'm sure without snow would feel more blue collar.

Those are quite the photos.

I just want them to arrest and incarcerate people who cut in line during my commute home from work. String them up, tar and feathers.

What a waste of resources to go after a guy like that criminally.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14792543/amp/Michelino-Sunseri-Grand-Teton-national-park-mountain-strava-court-trial.html 😂😂. Damn imagine getting cited for cutting a switchback based on your Strava track!

Jason, I'd love a coffee table book. You have beautiful photography of the North Cascades

https://www.timberlinelodge.com/conditions#webcams I think it will be fine with an early start and the cooler temps forecast later this week... if they materialize.

Hey hey- did you get your North Ridge summit? I'm heading there this week if you're around. Climb N., ski CD out. Let's chat. - Eric eric6mann@gmail.com

Hey Brett- did you get your North Ridge summit? I'm heading there this week if you're around. Climb N., ski CD out. Let's chat. - Eric eric6mann@gmail.com

Hey hey - Bellinghamer here. Let's talk shop. Shoot me an email - eric6mann@gmail.com. If you're free this week and temps drop I was looking to head out to the North Ridge of Baker (or something else). - Eric

You interested in Baker - North Ridge this week? Looking for temps to cool down a bit overnight these next couple days but if things come together some time between Thursday - Saturday- shoot me a email eric6mann@gmail.com- let's chat Baker or other objectives. I'm in Bellingham --- Eric

Hi all, I'm planning to climb Mt hood in July and would love to have a partner or two to team up. About me: I have about a year of mountaineering experience and have taken several courses through the Colorado Mountain Club. I have climbed a few couloirs, up to 55 deg, done some class 3-4 scrambling, rapelling, etc. I also climbed Mt Adams solo about the same time last year. If you want to know my qualification more in depth, feel free to ask. I do not, unfortunately, have any crevasse experience to date, which is why I want to climb Hood as an intermediate before training for and climbing Rainier next year. Also why a partner would be nice. Availability: I have every weekend available in July as of now. I also have July 19th onward free until August, including weekdays. I know weekdays are ideal for Hood, but also that maybe pushing late into the season? Planning to do more trip planning over the coming month. I would be flying in from CO. If anyone is interested please let me know! Thanks!

Agreed, but in this case I suspect an editor who lives out of state and doesn't care or know anything about Bellingham?

True--but I assume the Bellingham Herald still has an editor who reviews articles before publication?

She must have used AI and didn’t even bother to read what it gave her before publishing.

It's not local journalism when a rando in Phoenix gets tossed a few bucks to write up something they have absolutely no clue about.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 Oh my, if this is the state of local journalism, well, we're in worse shape than I feared. Please please please tell me this was NOT a WWU grad. Kids who can't write good. I scrolled down to her bio. Hard to fathom how writing like this gets past the committee.

Stellar wordsmithing! 😂 https://amp.bellinghamherald.com/news/state/washington/article307907125.html dang, Helena!

I know things are changing fast with the heat but I'm over in the area soon and was hoping for a climb. Thanks for any updates.

The exposed part just beyond had a very thin fixed line on it last year, end of July. Honestly looked like paracord 🤣

Hey Jon! Haven't logged in for ages but now I do and see I'm being talked about. We did the ridge route over to East Fury from Luna col because we thought it looked more interesting. We didn't rope up for the "crux tower" but we did rope up for a ~25-foot step a bit further along toward Fury as the exposure was significant so consequences would have been high. I don't remember it being particularly chossy and rubbly except for the last bit, which was reasonably low angle. We returned via #1 as we didn't want to redo the chossy bit and it also seemed like it would be easier and faster for the return trip.

Hello. I'm an active 60-year-old male who just moved to Bellingham. I enjoy hiking, climbing, rappelling, biking, swimming, running, unicycling and inline skating.

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