Ptarmigan Ridge — Sunday, Aug. 26, 2001

North Cascades > Mount Baker Area

This hike was day one of my four hikes in four days in the North Cascades, as I had wanted to hike some trails I had not done before. The Ptarmigan Ridge trail out to Sholes Glacier on the northeast side of Mt. Baker is a great trip with wonderful views. The further you go, the less people you see. Starting from Artist Point from the end of Highway 542 you get a view of whats ahead. After going along Table Mtn. and the junction to Chain Lakes the trail heads down the ridge over numerous streams and six snow slopes before getting close to Mt. Baker. The trail continues beyond Coleman Pinnacle where I saw 7 Mountain Goats, 5 adults and 2 kids. The trail ends in a rocky area next to the glacier where you can see many large cravesses. It is about 10.5 miles round trip and the snow slopes are fairly easy to cross. Day 2-Hannegan Peak.