We were moving at 5am the next morning in perfect conditions. Great cramponing all the way to the summit (about 6-8 inches fresh snow up top). We summited by about 8:30. We avoided big slots near the top of the Coleman on the left. A half hour on the summit and 2 more brought us back to camp for a 6 hour round trip.
All in all, a great climb with great folks and my first time on and up Baker!
For future N Ridge reference: crossing the glacier as described in CAG (~6500 ft) seems like the best way, especially in early season. The variation route described in the CAG (snowfield to gain the ridge near 8800 ft) seemed reasonable too, but more exposed to rockfall. I'd also forget the carryover idea, and just do it from a "high" camp at about 6000 ft. Spend part of the first day scoping out the glacier crossing so you can do it in poor light, and plan on hitting the ridge at first light, and getting up through the steep sections early. Car to car also seems doable, but hitting it from a camp saves you the 2+ miles of trail and about 2000 ft of elevation. It also gives you a chance to spy the route in the daytime...