Three weeks ago I hiked this trail as part of a Mountaineer's scramble group. Our ultimate destination was Coleman Pinnacle. At that time it was snowing so hard we couldn't see where the snow in the sky ended and the snow on the ground started. I vowed I would return in nicer weather to see what I had missed the first time around. Friday night was clear and very cold but the forecast for Saturday Saturday as great so out we headed. I was amazed by the number of cars at the trailhead. I shouldn't have been, with nice weather, easy access, and stunning views it's no wonder what draws the hoards. It was a very easy hike in about 1 1/2 miles til we reached the first snow field. Be warned this patch is very steep. Because of the clear and cold weather the previous night the snow was as hard as granite. Even though we had ice axes we chose to hike down and around this snow patch. Our hope was that once we reached snow that was in the sun it would be softer and allow us to continue. We had no such luck. The snow was so hard that we couldn't kick steps. We made the hard decision to turn around a try a different trail. The FS ranger we ran into at the trail head mentioned 50% of this trail is still under snow. Yet, I was amazed by the number of ill equipped hikers who chose to continue past where we turned around. I'm not exaggerating when I say this snow was rock hard yet we saw hiker after hiker in sneaker and without so much as a trekking pole slip and slide all over the ice. I wanted to get out of the area as quickly as possible because I didn't want to be party to a rescue involving some idiot hiker who didn't have enough sense to turn around. I've done this trip before, there is a lot of steep snow. At a minimum you need to carry an ice axe. If the snow was as hard as it was on Saturday I wouldn't attempt it without crampons.

Camped Saturday night near Coleman Pinnacle. The trail was in fine shape. There are 2 snowfields just past the Chain Lakes intersection that had some moderate exposure that were forcing some folks to turn back. Obviously, an ice axe was helpful for this and the rest of the snow on the trail. There *were* plenty of folks who were doing it without them, however. Overall, there was still snow on roughly 40% of the trail. Considerable cloud cover on Saturday, but it lifted Sunday morning and we had a nice sunrise. Clouds, fog and rain dogged us for most of the way out. Pics at http://photos.yahoo.com/keven_elliff

The trail head is burried in snow from clearing the parking lot at Artist Point. After that the trail is very clear to the other end of Table Mountain with only a couple patches of snow and one small tree across the trail. The views are just as great as ever. Beyond the Chain Lakes intersection this trail becomes snow covered.

Hiked the Ptarmigan Ridge trail until glacier travel became mandatory. Trail to this point is two-thirds still snow covered. Additionally, one may only drive to Austin Pass and hike the extra mile to Artist's Point. This was my first time to this area and I was blown away. Incredible scenery with Shuksan on one side and Baker on the other. Watched the moon rise over Shuksan at sunset - amazing. There are some short sections of steep snow - no problem in the afternoon, but still kinda hard in the early AM. I wore plastic mountaineering boots and had no problem, though an ice ax would have been nice. There are several places to camp off the snow in established tent pads, however there are plenty of flat areas on snow to minimize impacts. This area rivals Cascade Pass for incredible views.

Ptarmigan Ridge and Table Mtn. USGS Mt. Shuksan A very pleasant hike. We had tried this trip many years ago and even on Labor Day weekend there was snow piled high in the Artists Point parking lot and the trail was snowbound after the first mile and a half. This year, however, the trail was completely melted out and in good shape. Many people and their well-behaved dogs were enjoying the trip. Smoke from the Marblemount fire was thick in the Skagit Valley and was getting worse. At the saddle a half mile or so beyond Coleman Pinacle we watched a coyote come up over the ridge and down the other side. He was in no particular hurry and sat down in the snow several times to cool off. We continued another mile or a little less before we stopped for lunch. No bugs, but the flowers were gone, too. Fall has arrived in the mountains. On the way back, we decided to make a loop by going up and over Table Mountain from west to east. The Green Trails map shows a trail branching off the Chain Lakes Trail, and the huge sign at Artists Point shows the same trail, albeit as a ""dotted"" line, not a solid like like the rest of the trails in the area. Based on that information, the loop seemed like a reasonable plan, but we should have relied on Darvill or on 100 Hikes, which caution against this route. The Table Mtn trail does branch off from the Chain Lakes trail just about where the map indicates. You have to lose approximately 250 feet from the junction of the Chain Lakes trail and the Ptarmigan Ridge trail before starting to switchback up to Table Mtn. The switchbacks are sketchy in a couple of places, but there are no serious difficulties and you emerge over a lip and into in a small basin. We thought we were in good shape at that point, but we were wrong. The route almost immediately disappeared into rocks and snow. If there were cairns, we couldn't find them. We picked up a patch of trail once about 300 yards from the lip of the basin, but lost the route almost immediately again. We could tell from the map that we needed to be at the extreme south edge of Table Mtn, but the only reasible way to that spot was up steep 60' - 80' snow patch. Even in the late afternoon of a very warm day, this was more than a bit tricky without ice axes, and I would not want to have to do it again. Under worse conditions this could be really dangerous. We made it to the top of the snow, and then intersected the trail just where the map said it should be. Although we made the loop, I would strongly recommend against trying it in this direction. If you want to combine Table Mtn with Ptarmigan Ridge, ascend Table Mtn first, directly from the parking lot. Take the main trail up Table Mtn (which is wide but airy -- believe the sign when it cautions against taking small children) and follow it to the end. If a route down looks reasonable, you're fine and can continue down to the Chain Lakes trail, follow it left to the Ptarmigan Ridge trail, and continue. But if you don't see a reasonable way down from Table Mtn., backtrack to the parking lot and pick up the Ptarmigan Ridge trail there. Dave, Sue, and Alan Sherbrooke August 30, 1998