Ptarmigan Ridge — Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010

North Cascades > Mount Baker Area

Ptarmigan Ridge trail is still about 20-30% snow covered. Most of the snow is in a few shadowed places and around Camp Kieser and Coleman Pinnacle. The first high-angle snow patch is in the normal place at the end of the first switchbacks below the Chain Lake trail junction. We started at about 10:30 AM and by then the sun had softened the snow enough to made walking easy. There was a good boot track across all the snow. We found that our hiking poles were handy on some of the higher angle spots. But, we had no problems getting across any of the snow patches. Good boots are a really good idea. The trail has sloughed downhill in a couple of spots, but seems solid where it it now. There were some rock slides last winter and spring, so you have to clamber over a couple of boulders -- no big deal The climber's trail that goes to Park Glacier and the Portals is open for about a mile, then solid snow. Camp Kieser is about 80% snow covered, but there are good camping spots here and there. The lakes at Camp Kieser are showing a little open water, but are mostly still frozen. Wildflowers are in full glory in the meadows and hillsides -- lupine, bistort, asters, daisies. Blueberries are still a few weeks from ripening. Looks like a thin blueberry crop on the Ridge this year We saw a few goats in the distance and the normal bunch of birds.