Ptarmigan Ridge — Friday, Sep. 7, 2001

North Cascades > Mount Baker Area

For years my boyfriend, who introduced me to hiking would say, ""If you ever get a chance to hike Ptarmagin Ridge...do it."" I would read about this trail and want to go, but being afraid of snowfields and trails that suggest an ice ax in a typical season I put this hike off. Until this year. With the lower snow levels I thought my chance is now! Being a member of the Mountaineers, I signed up to take this trip with the ""Naturalist"" group. I thought these people will take their time on this hike and that will give me less stress about this hike. It turned out to be an absolutely picture-perfect weekend. We started out about 9:30ish. The sun was out, the temperature warm with a slight breeze in the later afternoon...it felt perfect. The trail is long but mostly flat! You have Mt. Shuksan and Mt. Baker in view almost the entire time. We stopped many times to inhale the perfect views we were having this day. Although the trail is flat, there were places where the trail ia rocky and places where the ""quasi trail"" is a path through gravel (uphill). After the trail forks with the Chain Lakes trail, you hike down. At the bottom, we then had to hike up on the first snowfield. There was a guy skiing down the snowfield. It seemed steep and slippery going up and all I could think was ""how am I going to go back down this snowfield on the way back without sliding to the bottom."" The trail is again relatively flat and rocky in places. I stopped to look at the breath-taking views many times. I was so mesmerized that I would forget that I was standing beneath a rock-slide area. There were two more snow-crossings before we reached our destination of Coleman Pinnacle. The last of the two scared me. It scared me because I ""LOOKED!"" Being afraid of heights, I know not to look. The snowfield sloped down, down, down and I looked! My hands started to sweat and I kept telling myself it would be alright. Now, don't get me wrong. No one else seemed to be bothered by the possibility of slipping and sliding down a cliff. Gosh, I wish I brought my ice ax, but I was told that we wouldn't need it. And we didn't, but at that momemt, I wish I did. I made it! I made it to Coleman Pinnacle and it was FAB!!!!! There was a beautiful ice lake below and Mt. Baker in your face. I can finally say that I hiked Ptarmigan Ridge! Going back across the snowfield that scared me, I did not look and it made a big difference. The origianl snowfield softened up by the sun was easier to descend. I love this area. I wish I could make it here more than 2 or 3 times a year. I'm planning on coming back in a couple of weeks to hike my favorite place, Yellow Aster Butte. I want to see if the beautiful ice lakes will be there this year with such low snow levels. I'll let you know.