Ptarmigan Ridge — Saturday, Sep. 21, 2024

Did this epic trail out to East Portals, which makes it more like 12 miles and 2,000 ft of elevation gain. If you have the energy, I highly recommend the full things. Absolutely incredible.

Artist Point TH was hoppin' this morning at 6:45 am when I arrived. I bundled up (it was 39 degrees F) and started out. Thankfully, the trail was pretty quiet at this early hour. The trail's landscapes and views are constantly changing. So neat. Once the official trail ends shortly before Camp Kiser, it's good to have the map downloaded. The unofficial bootpath was easy enough to follow (look carefully for switchbacks as you start climbing after Camp Kiser. If it seems too sketchy or dangerous, you are probably off the trail.) There is one small snowfield to cross. After that, the trail devolves into chaos, as it more or less disappears. In its place are a million social trails, so it's really choose your own adventure. I used Gaia to determine where Portals East was, then found a trail there. Views were simply outstanding. Literally a sea of mountains in all directions. Mount Baker is front and center. Only a few other people up there with me. 

I stopped at Goat Lake on the way back. Will go back for backpacking perhaps. Aside from the lake itself, there is not much water left on the trail. There is a small stream shortly after the Chain Lakes-Ptarmigan Ridge junction where you probably could get water with slight difficulty.

Bring clothes for all seasons. The morning was freezing. The Portals summit was windy and more or less the North Pole. Then the sun came out, and I lost all my layers and was still quite warm! The way back took longer than I thought it would, simply because of the sheer number of people. Cars lined the highway for quite a ways as I was leaving!