Jack Hollenbach

Lake Ann is not a big lake, but what she lacks in size she more than makes up for with her grace and charm. She's also a calming force and an escape of sorts, from the surrounding drama of our main star, Mount Shuksan. When Shuksan is not fogged in it seems to spread itself across the entire sky. When it begins to feel like too much, one can simply turn around. Ann is there.

Fairly popular among day-hikers, you'll see everyone on this trail from hardened mountain lovers to families and even white-haired grannies. That said, it's not exactly an easy hike. At 8.2 miles and 1,900 feet of elevation gain (both round trip), Lake Ann is a bit more of a day hike than I'm usually up for, so, to those grannies who actually get there and back in a day, much respect.

As for my friends and me, we decided to backpack in and stay two nights at the lake so we could do a day-hike to the Lower Curtis Glacier on Mount Shuksan.

We began our hike on Friday afternoon, Labor Day weekend. The sun was shining and the sky was clear. A more perfect day simply could not exist for hiking in the North Cascades, where everywhere you look there are craggy, snow-capped peaks vying for your attention. As we set off on the trail with our heavy packs, we were almost giddy with excitement. Unlike a lot of trails you'll find, this one actually drops in elevation by about 900 feet from the trail head, winding its way through lush forest and eventually landing in a gorgeous little valley where dogs and humans alike may cool off in the many creek crossings. Views of Mount Baker and the surrounding mountains kept us stopping often for photos.

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Another crossing and the trail then moves back into the trees, winding its way along the toe of the Shuksan Arm before bottoming out again at a junction where one may choose to go straight for Lake Ann, or turn right for a trail down the Swift Creek Valley to Baker Lake. From this junction, the trail climbs and climbs and climbs. We navigated switchbacks, scree fields, and the seemingly never-ending 1,000-foot slog up an exposed ridge, sucking water like crazy from our CamelBaks.

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As we reached the saddle and looked down at shapely Lake Ann, we felt very happy we'd soon be ditching all the weight on our backs. After descending about 100 feet to the lake, we made our camp at the south end, near the outlet of the lake. Evening was setting in and it quickly grew much cooler out. Campfires are not allowed out here, so we wanted to set up camp and get to cooking our dinner to warm up, but Mount Shuksan was not making it easy. The evening light seemed to change the mountain every few minutes. We’d stop whatever we were doing to take more photos and gaze, open-mouthed, at the alpenglow lighting up this colossus of rock and ice dominating the sky.

After dinner, we sat atop our rocky point, sipping Irish whiskey and making casual conversation. We tipped our heads back, watching the stars appear. When it had grown completely dark, we unclipped the straps of our seats and lay back against the granite. The sky now directly above us, we were like children. The Milky Way spread itself across the sky in a dense band of light. Not much was said, save for an occasional remark on the beauty of this place and exclamations over shooting stars.

Eventually, the chill got to us and we turned in. I lay in my sleeping bag, in my little tent, reading Lonesome Dove (not a smart book to bring backpacking, for its size and heft--but I couldn’t stop myself from packing it) and as I began to feel the weight of sleep coming on, I happened across these words: "Augustus lay back, his head against his saddle. It was a clear night, the stars just beginning to appear." I laughed a little at the coincidence. I switched off my headlamp, closed my eyes, and slipped away to the sound of the lake's outlet babbling at my feet while glacial waters roared down the mountain above me.

The following morning was eerie. We were completely fogged in so that you couldn't even see the other side of our little lake. As we ate our breakfast and cleared our heads with hot coffee, we could feel the sun fighting to show itself. It never completely cleared up, but that was fine. The constantly shifting dance of sun and clouds throughout the day kept things very interesting. We were just happy it was not raining.

Once we were powered up and the sun was peeking through, we decided to set off for the Lower Curtis Glacier. I stuffed my pack with just the essentials (water, snacks, first aid kit, warm hat, extra layers) and off we went.

If our map was correct, the glacier is less than a mile from Lake Ann, but it took us over two hours to get there. To be fair, part of this is due to the fact that we stopped to take pictures every ten steps, but it's also because this is no walk in the park.

After angling away from the lake, we landed in a creek basin where everything suddenly felt very prehistoric. Above, the fog moved in and out of massive rock spires, while at our feet we walked among beautiful alpine flowers, wild blueberries, and lush, bright green ferns surrounding enormous rocks. The trail then climbs numerous switchbacks toward the Fisher Chimney, a popular climbing route for those planning to summit Mount Shuksan. As we continued, the glacial water rushing down the mountain became extremely loud, while far down the valley, Baker Lake came into view. By this time, I was wearing every piece of clothing I'd packed with me. After crossing a couple of tricky and steep rock gullies, we arrived near the edge of the glacier. One more scree field and we were there.

I was on the glacier before I knew I was on the glacier. Carefully placing each step, I started to notice more and more ice between and underneath the rocks. A little further and there was no mistaking it.

Whoa.

Standing on top of the Lower Curtis Glacier, looking up at the craggy pinnacles surrounding the Upper Curtis, and across the snow and ice-filled cirque of Mount Shuksan was, well, very affecting.

We didn't have a lot to say.

Getting there: From Bellingham, take the Mount Baker Highway (State Route 542) east about 60 miles to the trailhead (parking lot on the left, about 1.5 miles beyond the Mount Baker Ski Area). Call ahead to the Glacier Public Service Center for trail and weather information, (360)-599-2714.

Thank ozmafan for the sunny scene and thank Mother Nature for the clean, bright days. I love this time of year when one moment the sky opens up to rain and the next to sun. Have a splendid weekend, everyone.

Thanks to zenobia joy for reminding me that today is the grand opening of Elliott Bay Book Company's new location in Capitol Hill!

The Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce will be sponsoring a Grand Opening Block Party today starting at 4:00 p.m. They say the parking garage won't be ready until next weekend, but in the meantime, validated parking is available in the lot on 10th Avenue between Pike and Union.

See you there!

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Nearly all of what Seattle is can be found in this photo. From the construction staging, to the aging concrete, to our relationship (whether real or perceived) with the natural beauty and wildlife around us. Only in this case, nature is isolated within the urban, which, let's face it, seems to be our ambition. Thanks to photocoyote for being such a prolific contributor to our Flickr pool.

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Monster thanks to JeanineAnderson for sharing this awesome scene with us.

Billy Connolly has been making people laugh since the 1970s with his hilarious, off-the-cuff stand-up performance.

On television Connolly starred in the final season of the popular sitcom Head of the Class. He has also starred in a wide range of films including Indecent Proposal, Muppet Treasure Island, The Boondock Saints (I and II), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the upcoming Gulliver's Travels.

Billy Connolly performs March 12 and 13 at 8 p.m. at the Bagley Wright Theatre.

Been to Seattle before?

Never once. I've always wanted to, but all the tours I've been on just never went there. You know people say it rains there all the time but I don't give a shit, I'm Scottish, I'm waterproof.

Any naked dancing planned for your visit?

No, I usually only do that on those documentary travel films I do. I got into the habit of doing it because I did it once and then I was thinking, oh, what do I do to top that for my next film, and I thought, ah fuck it, I'll just do another naked dance. Actually the last one I did in New Zealand and I did a naked bungee.

I hope nothing was harmed by whatever harness you were wearing.

No, it's a boot thing. It's a boot harness that's calf-length. And the rest of me was pink and fluffy.

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You've had a long career in which you've sung folk music, written books, acted in numerous movies and television shows, and of course, stand-up comedy. Do you have a favorite? What makes you happiest?

Comedy is my calling. The rest of it is incidental. I like acting and I like acting well, and music is something, well, some people are musicians and some aren't and I'm an aren't. But comedy--it's at once exhilarating and frightening. And when I'm on the stage doing it, I'm very very happy. 

You're going to be doing two shows in Seattle, and you've done a lot of marathon, multi-date runs of shows in your career. How do you keep it fresh and exciting doing so many shows in a row?

It's kind of a weird thing. It takes work. I do about two, two and a half hours usually and it's kept fresh by trying to remember it most of the time. Half the time I can't remember everything so I have to make up stuff. I don't write it down, you see. I've never written it in my life. I was tempted to try writing it down afterward when things went really well, but I never got around to doing that.

There was an ad-lib I did once that lasted a very long time. It was a whole sketch, just ad-libbed. It's on YouTube, you can look up "Billy Connolly Wildebeast." And that's its only performance. I've thought since, maybe I should do that wildebeast thing, but what did I say about them wildebeasts, ah fuck it, I don't remember.

You've played many different roles on film, but most people know you as a comedian. How fun was it to play Il Duce, a complete badass, in The Boondock Saints?

Oh, I loved that. It's brilliant. Being a badass is wonderful because badasses do interesting things. Nice guys are just nice. They go to work and feed their family, but a badass can kill people they don't like with a nine millimeter. It just gives life that little slant. That happy little slant of your fantasies. It's a wonderful world to live in for ninety minutes.

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Recently you got to work with Jack Black and Jason Segel in the upcoming Gulliver's Travels. Having been in comedy for many years, do younger comedic actors ever come to you for advice?

Oh no. God no. And I have such respect for those guys. Jason Segel, he's got to be some kind of genius, the way he can write. Even on the set, during a break he was writing a song for another movie--a splendid song. He's a terrific guy. And there's Jack. Imagine me giving Jack Black advice, I mean, good god. I just had the best time with those two. We just laughed the whole time.

And I'm really glad they were so nice because there was a lot of green screen you know, so you're acting to a laser point on a wall which can bore you shitless. And the whole time Jack's standing just off to the side doing his part, so with every essence of my being I want to turn and speak to him, but you know, he's a giant so I have to talk to a fucking piece of duct tape up on the wall instead. Personally I'd rather drink bleach than have to act that way all the time.

Some of your comedy has been very anti-religious, specifically with respect to the Catholic Church.

No, I don't like religion. I think religion is a con.

To your knowledge, have you ever offended anyone at a show?

Never. Never. People generally know where I stand. No, I don't like religion. There's a lot about it I don't like.

There was an article in the Seattle Times today about the Catholic church launching an ad campaign to bring former Catholics back to church. I thought you might find it amusing because apparently some of the ads feature nuns playing soccer.

Oh my god, nuns playing soccer. Yeah, they'll do anything. Anything but speak about the real thing. Yeah, pedophilia is fun. But I'm not particularly anti-Catholic. I mean, I think Mormons are mentally ill. And Islam and Judaism--I think they're all nuts. It's peculiar that someone believes in a big man in the sky who's watching you all the time. It's nonsense. It's mental illness to me.

In 1975, you told a joke on the BBC show Parkinson, about a man who finds an interesting use for his dead wife. Will you share that joke with us?

Oh god, yes. I love that one. Funny thing is, it's really not that funny anymore, but in 1975 it was front line, hard edge to say something like that on television. So this guy, he's in a bar and he confesses to his friend that he's just murdered his wife. He says, "I've had it. It was just too much, the nagging, I couldn't take it so I killed her." His friend says, "You're kidding." And he says, "No no, I've killed her and I've buried her in a little shed behind the house." His friend says, "Are you having me on here?" "No no no, I've done it. I've buried her in the shed. I'll show you if you like." So sure enough he takes his friend to the the shed and there's a big mound of earth there in the middle of the floor with a bare ass sticking up out of it. A big pink bare ass stinking up out of the dirt. "Is that your wife, is it?" the friend asks. "Why did you leave her ass sticking out like that?" And the guy says, "Well I needed someplace to park my bicycle."

(Much laughter from myself and Billy)

It's still funny.

More hockey! This time in our own backyard. Thanks to prolific Seattle photographer Chris Blakeley for sharing this fun shot with us.

The greatest success of George Lucas' life was making a robot that looks like a garbage can so cute and charming. Thanks to SunBreak Flickr pool contributer Great Beyond for this heart-warming closeup.

Like many not-regular hockey spectators, I've still got hockey on the brain after Sunday's USA vs. Canada Death Match, so this photo pairing by cherished SunBreak Flickr contributer Slightlynorth really stood out to me. Plus you've got to love the excitement on these kids' faces.

A cozy NW living room indeed. Thanks to +Russ for sharing with our SunBreak Flickr pool.