We hiked about 9.5 miles rountrip to the Lower Curtis glacier via Lake Ann. We originally thought about just stopping at Lake Ann, but the 1/2 mile or so to the glacier (near it, not on it mind you) was worth it. We started at 11:30am and came back at 6:00 pm. We weren’t racing, but we weren’t going slow either. We started at the Lake Ann trail head on route 542 just before you come to the Heather Meadow Visitor Center. This a popular hike, but worth if for the views of Mount Baker (10,778 ft) and Mount Shuksan (9,127 ft). It’s not a straight up and straight down type of hike. You start by going down, then up to a saddle and then down to Lake Ann. If you continue on to the glacier you climb a bit more. For details about this hike, see the Lake Ann Trail #600 description.
The definite highlight for us was going past Lake Ann up to the Lower Curtis Glacier. The glacier is getting smaller and is in a disequilibrium which means it will probably disappear. It is likely responding to the climate of the last 30 years. Many of the North Cascade glaciers are in trouble.
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