Chain Lakes Loop, Artist Ridge - Huntoon Point & Wild Goose — Sunday, Jul. 2, 2023

I always know adventure awaits when there isn't a recent WTA report for a trail. And I was certainly correct on this one! 

General thoughts:

If you don't want to read my full report, that's understandable. Key takeaways: DOWNLOAD OFFLINE MAPS!!!! I can't stress this enough. Some parts of this trail are not going to melt out anytime soon. The bootpath is pretty easy to follow, with one exception, and I would still be out there wandering if I didn't have Gaia downloaded. Be prepared for lots of slippery snow and sketchy snow bridges. Bring your bravery and be prepared for an excellent adventure! I had spikes with me, but never put them on. There is so much snow, but the fields are very intermittent. I would have been taking them off, putting them on alllll day. So this will very much have to be a personal choice based on your comfort level. Some bugs, but not bad yet.

My route and adventures:

I did this clockwise, starting at Bagby Trailhead. 6 am start meant I had plenty of solitude. Right away things got interesting on the Wild Goose Trail. Lots of snow, and it wasn't always terribly apparent where the trail was. However, for the most part, there were footprints to follow. One part was particularly sketchy...leading up to the Lake Ann TH, the trail traverses a slightly steep and slippery snow field. 
I managed to survive the journey to Artist Point. Since it was still early, I decided to hit up Artist Ridge Trail to the viewpoint. This trail was probably about 50% snow-covered. Once up near Huntoon Point, the trail system devolves into a maze, so one is just left to kinda to choose their own adventure. Outstanding vistas of Baker, Shuksan, and the valleys. 

Then it was time to hit up the Chain Lakes! The trail picks up again from the Artist Point parking lot. Along the ridge was not too bad. Some patchy snow, but not terrible. Once at the saddle, the trail turns to complete snow. The descent down to the first lake was a bit tricky since it was very icy; however, the bootprint trail was easy to follow. I just had to take it slow and be aware of snow bridges. 

Before the first lake was an interesting moment. There is a rather large iceberg/chunk of ice/snow that is completely blocking the trail. There is a sheer dropoff, so you cannot go down and around. The only way is to go behind it, but unfortunately, there is a rock wall there. It's a short section thankfully, but it is challenging. I think dogs would have a very hard time with this. There is no trail (remember, the iceberg is directly on the trail), and it is very narrow, muddy terrain. An athletic, brave dog might be okay, but just be aware. Like I said, it is large, so I think it will be awhile before it melts. I almost turned back, but I'm glad I kept going!

The lakes themselves...some are starting to thaw and some are completely thawed. The trail meanders through the various lakes. It's about 50% snow-covered and 50% bare. Overall, very scenic. Still few bugs.

Then it was time to climb again. After I passed Iceberg Lake and Hayes Lake, the bootprints led me astray. They got very faint and then disappeared. I thought I was sorta following some faint ones, but after awhile, I took out Gaia, and nope. I was way off trail. This involved some bushwacking and breaking trail even when I found the trail again. Perhaps the winter route is different than what is shown on Gaia. Anyway, I eventually made it up to where one has to climb a steep slope, full of mashed potato snow. It was exhausting in the hot sun! I chose my own path, since the bootprints once again had become faint. The trail would pop out from under the snow every once in awhile. 

At long last, I reached the top of Herman Saddle, and what a welcome sight it was! Baker, Shuskan, and the trail down!!! Woohoo! It would be smooth sailing down, after all my hard work, right? 
Wrong. It was mostly smooth, but the trail still had some snow coverage that was melting fast, leaving, you guessed it, snow bridges!!! It was here that I sunk in my first one of the day. So, use caution! It's only going to get worse until it is completely gone. I ran into some people ill-prepared for the conditions, so please make sure you are ready for snow and a hot ascent (if you are doing this counterclockwise).

I stopped at the visitor center on the way back. Nice place with some history! Overall, this was absolutely an incredible hike with so many epic views that my brain has turned into a puddle of love and hearts for this state I am so fortunate to call home.