A favorite tree gets the chop

by Tara Nelson

The tree that had many locals mesmerized was given many names.
There was “Carter’s Tree,” “The ‘Oi’ Tree,” “Trippin’ Tree,” “The Smoke Tree,” “The Stretch Tree,” “The Bud Tree,” The Gate Keeper,” “The Evil Tree,” “Mom’s Tree,” “The Time Clock Tree,” and “The Tree of Wisdom.”

But now, the moss-covered tree just east of Glacier on Mt. Baker Highway will most likely be called “The Missing Tree,” after it was cut down last summer, much to the dismay of its admirers. The tree’s former location is marked by a makeshift cairn built out of a few rocks.

One of those admirers is Glacier resident and artist Jenny Tofe, who compiled 35 8-by-10-inch color photos of the tree into a sort of memorial now available for viewing at Ju Juan A Mexicana restaurant in Maple Falls.

Tofe, a 1999 graduate of Western Washington University’s fine arts program and a pro snowboarder, said she photographed the tree each time she passed it going to and from the mountain because of it’s rumored mystical and magical qualities.

“My friends and I would always use the tree to kind of clock in and clock out from the mountain,” she said. “It was just kind of like an icon of going to Mt. Baker. Everyone had a name for it.”

When asked how long the photos will be available at the restaurant, Tofe said, “As long as people are interested.”

Tofe’s tree photos can also be seen at Chiribin’s restaurant at 113 Magnolia Street in Bellingham (near the corner of Railroad and Magnolia). There, Tofe uses a seeming intentional soft focus and digital color enhancement and frames the photos using old windowpanes, which she sanded and stained herself.

Tofe said she moved to the Mt. Baker area in 1995 from Breckenridge, Colorado for the snowboarding terrain, friendly people and deep powder.

“It’s an expert only mountain,” she said. “Plus, it’s not too commercialized.” She will also be competing in this year’s 21 1/2 Mt. Baker Legendary Banked Slalom in the women’s masters division.

Ju Juan A Mexicana is located at 7471 Mt. Baker Highway. The restaurant and cantina are open daily from 2 p.m. to closing and serves food until 9 p.m. Phone 599-9800.