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12 BACKPACKER 03.2014 Mt. Baker- Snoqualmie NF Three Fingers Lookout “This is far and away the most implausible and dramatically situ- ated human structure I’ve ever slept in,” Welty says. It has also become one of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest’s least-visited spots. When the road to the trailhead closed, so Viewfinder Basecamp Viewfinder Basecamp Viewfinder Basecamp Viewfinder Basecamp went the crowds on this once-popular hike. Nowadays, the equip- ment you need to reach the 6,870-foot- high bungalow reads like an inventory list at REI: mountain bike, ice axe, crampons, snow pickets, rope (depend- ing on comfort level and season), and, of course, a sleep- ing bag and cooking gear (because you don’t want to miss the sun setting into the Pacific). Start pedaling where Forest Service Road #41 is closed, and it’s 10 miles and 1,500 feet of eleva- tion gain to reach the Saddle Lake/Goat Flats/Three Fingers (#641) trailhead. The path winds 2.5 miles on trails overgrown with salmonberry to Saddle Lake, and then passes to a ridgetop meadow at Goat Flats. At Tin Can Gap (mile 6), the route crosses a steep snowfield (head uphill to the moat for a late-summer bypass option) to the Queest Alb Glacier on the south side of the ridge. From there, three verti- cal ladders deliver you to that endless view from the mountaintop hut. It’s first-come, first-serve but is so infrequently visited that Welty says his party’s trip in August accounted for just the second one that year. And though the 7.5- mile trip (excluding the biking) is strenuous, Welty says the hard- est part was packing to go. “I’ve never been so unwilling to leave a summit,” he says. “Next time, I’ll pack in enough food for several nights.” Help maintain the lookout: bit.ly/save3fin- gers. Info bit.ly/3fingers LEFT TO RIGHT: ASCEND- ING LADDERS TO THE CABIN; SUN SETS OVER THE NORTH CASCADES; A ROOM WITH A VIEW.