Name: Opening the Mountains
Start: 2026-07-11T08:30:00-07:00
End: 2026-07-11T17:30:00-07:00
Location: Excelsior Pass, Mt. Baker

Our full day mountain hike to open the mountains to practice.
7 mile round-trip
1,500' elevation gain
Uphill the whole way, at a fairly consistent grade, level around the lakes, and steeper for the final section to the ridge. Good well-built trail, soft forest path lower down, open and rocky trail up above.
Reizan Bob Penny will lead us on a meditation hike above the tree line near Mount Baker - our first mindful foray of the season into the high mountains.
Excelsior Divide, which we will reach via Damfino Lakes, is a beautiful subalpine ridge partially covered in early season snowfields and avalanche lilies. This will be our place of Opening the Mountains for the beginning of our ritual high-country hiking season.
This hike is inspired by traditions on Tibetan sacred mountains where the first ritual circuit of the season was performed by priests waking up the mountain deities.
The trail can be muddy at this time of the year so, depending on the advance of the season, you may want to bring gaiters for snow in the forested upper portions. But although there could be some hard snow it will also be mostly clear on the open ridge.