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Fossil Mountain, near Church Mountain Lookout, is perched above Mount Baker Highway. Excelsior Peak lies near the east on the same ridge. Additionally, the simple climb shares the same approach as the old lookout.
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The fossil mountain at a glance
Access: Chemin du Mont-Église (NF-3040)
Round trip: 10.1 miles
Altitude range: 2313′-6080′
Essential Gear: microspikes, snowshoes, helmet
GPS tracking: available
Suitable for dogs: Yes
PlayliSt: Keep moving
Return to the North Fork Nooksack River
Fucking moly! It’s been over 12 years (and a zodiac cycle) since we last set foot (and paw) on this trail. At this point, Cooper and Cody joined me on a cloudy ascent to the old observation site. I vividly remember walking through fresh powder in the meadows in gloomy weather.
I returned with Connor this time, Fossil Mountain being our goal. We arrived the night before and slept in an empty lot. Then we started shortly after sunrise, three hours earlier than last time. The register in front of the entrance showed several recent entries.
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South Road to Fossil Mountain
Church Mountain Road (NF-3040) was clear of debris until the trailhead. My only concern was the dip at Fossil Creek, a mile before the parking lot. With enough space to spare, I slowly crossed shallow water. Somehow I didn’t remember it from the last time.
The relaxing half-mile walk on the platform soon climbed steadily on tight switchbacks for the next 1000 feet. Sometimes the dense forest gave a glimpse of the south. As the trail rounded the ridge at 4,400 feet, continuous snow quickly replaced powder.
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Upper Basin at Church Mountain Lookout
With microspikes, we followed the boot tracks on the icy trail for a half-mile to the clearing. Then, since Connor hadn’t been there, I decided to visit the old lookout. Views to the south, including Mount Baker and Shuksan, appeared as we continued through firm snow on the south slope.
During this time, I noticed recent ski marks replacing the shoe paths across the meadows. We returned to the trees past snowy Deerhorn Creek in the upper basin to the south ridge at 5600′. The direct line soon brings us to the bare rocks below the summit under a ridge of snow.
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Explore the Kidney Lakes Basin
From the overlook’s vantage point, Church Mountain didn’t look ready for prime time, at least not to the dog. But I wanted to take a look at the route and go to the lake basin below to the north. The soft snow along the way was too messy for snowshoes, so we headed to the east saddle in boots.
Despite sighting cairns, the steep snow on the exposed south face was patchy and dangerous to traverse. For now, we’ll stick to our plan for Fossil Mountain after heading back in search of more views. This time I even saw the west peak sticking out behind the main summit.
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Fossil Mountain via the Upper Basin
After snowshoeing back to the basin, we ascended the slope above 5,000 feet before turning east and climbing another 400 feet. A brief walk on the gentle ridgeline quickly brought us to point 5576. After savoring more views, it was only another half mile to our second stop.
At the top of the ridge we saw more snowmobile tracks in the Canyon Creek basin. On my way to the saddle, I noticed even more on the west face of Fossil Mountain. By this time the snow had softened but was not melting during the last 200 meters of climbing.
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Mount Baker Wilderness Viewing
Exploring Church Mountain took up most of our time. But at least there was a lot more daylight now, with the sunset after 8 p.m. Wow! Many familiar peaks included Mount Larrabee, American Border Peak, Tomyhoi Peak, and Barometer Mountain.
Rather than retrace our steps, we dropped abruptly back into the meadows west of point 5576. After rejoining the trail through the clearing, we were soon back in the trees. Shortly after, we encountered the first inhabitants, Willow and Christian, on their way to camp in the basin.
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