Ptarmigan Ridge

I had a wonderful Saturday hiking the Ptarmigan Ridge in the Mount Baker Wilderness Area, out of Artist Point.

I got up early, as I like to do, and beat the crowd.  The weather was spectacular for an early September weekend. 80+ degrees, and I ended up with significant sunburn due to lack of reasonable care. I took my time, meandering the day away, looking at rocks, flowers, animals, and the mountains. I enjoy just taking pictures and taking it in.  This was my fourth or fifth time on this trail, I think, and by far my favorite day.

I saw a bear and at least six mountain goats!  The bear was way off, and moving, and I only got two Sasquatch type pictures. I posted one below. The goats were across a valley on a ridge all day.  I've seen as many as 50 goats on this particular trail in different years.  The pictures are more clear if you click on them.

The snow was completely clear, so I made it to the very end, to a place called The Portals.  The Portals are special because you climb up to about 6500 feet and get to look down and across at the Rainbow Glacier on Mount Baker. Basically, you're sitting across the table from the glaciers. There is a bit of a climb to get to the overlook.

The day was incredible, with the sky painted blue and nary a cloud.  The trail covers about half the distance between Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker, the volcano.  The views of the glaciers on Mount Baker are about as good as it gets, without stepping on them. Actually, I did stand on a few snowfields. Cooked my calves in the sun.

The views didn't stop there.  I could see Glacier Peak, prominent in the south, and Mount Rainer's cap was clear in the distance. All sorts of other peaks that I didn't know.

I ran into a group of Canadian runners, training for Baker Lake.  Yay!  My favorite race.  Towards the end of the trail, there were excellent views of the North end of Baker Lake.

Lots of mountain blueberries. I ate a few handfuls.  Lots of people, later in the day--far too many for any solitude on the trail, but nice to see folks getting out.  Getting away from folks was just a matter of taking a few steps off the trail, and staring at Mount Baker, and everything else.

Afterwards, I hung out with my good friends Dean, Ruth, and Al.  Good times.

Listened to a '70s punk collection on the way up--the Clash, Blondie, Iggy Pop, etc. A lot of lost gems. This was a good Saturday.

Wolf Moon Snowshoe to Artist Point

It has become somewhat of an annual tradition to snowshoe to Artist Point with friends on a winter full moon. Thanks to friend Dean for organizing the trip, which went up last Saturday.  I'd say about 15 of us made the trip this year, and a good time was had by all.

This year was marked by warm temperatures and far less snowpack than typical. When we started out, at dusk, I would guess the temperature was 40 degrees, with limited wind. This is unusual, as typically it is around 20 to 25, with wind making it seem far colder up on the Point.  The trip wasn't particularly challenging physically, at roughly 4 miles, and the snowpack was such that some wore microspikes and boots while others opted to crack out the snowshoes.

We made it all the way up to Huntoon Point.  No one camped, though a few campers were out there. The evening started up with cloudy skies, but the clouds broke, and we were able to see the milky way and a full sky of stars and planets, with the mountains silhouettes of Shuskan and Baker in the distance.

Chair 9 for pizza afterwards.  An epic Seahawk win over the 49ers the next day.  Placing last weekend in the Win column.

Artist Point Snowshoe

My friend Dean organized a snowshoe trip up to Artist Point on Saturday afternoon, which I was glad to take part in.  Artist Point is accessed by going to Heather Meadows at Mount Baker, and hiking about a 1000 feet up, and through a bit of backcountry. It's not all that difficult, but it is backcountry, and so it is best to bring some snow smarts.

We've done this trip on a near annual basis for several years now, typically timing it on the full moon cycle. The full moon reflected on Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan, with all the stars in the sky, is really something to see. It was raining down below, but we trusted the favorable forecasts, and indeed, it cleared up on top. We were there for the sunset, which produced some spectacular violet hues against the snow covered peaks.

My phone camera provides only a limited sense of this true winter wonderland. I think I was most impressed by the heavy snow on the wind blown trees up on the Point. At times, these trees took almost human or gargoyle shape, leaning from the weight of the snow. The fact that any life persists in such conditions is amazing.

I think in all we had a group of about 14 persons. A brave minority even set up tents and stayed the night. Bravo! Most like I though went up, and then came down for dinner at Chair 9 in Glacier. Staying wasn't an option for me, because I had to be back in town for a special birthday event in the evening. However, I will note that it was very cold up top. I'm guessing it was about 5 degrees on Artist Point, and then 20 degrees only a few 100 meters lower.

A great group and trip--highly recommended. Thank you Dean!