Reached the ski area parking lot at noon. There were well-established tracks up to Artist Point and Huntoon Point, all on firm snow (though not quite firm enough to not have to bother with snowshoes). There were a lot of people, as expected on a perfect, long weekend, but no traffic jams on the trail. On the other hand, we lost about half an hour total waiting to pass the washout on Hwy 542.

This snowshoe hike took place after the first storm of the year laid a few inches down in Heather Meadows and over a foot on top of Table Mountain. The approach to Artist Point and to the base of Table Mountain was easy and most of the switchbacks up Table Mountain were passable except one which was completely buried and had to be avoided. The other hazard was that while the amount of snow on top of the Table was enough to cover rocks, shrubs and the cavities between, it was not enough snow to avoid stumbling through these buried obstructions over and over. At sunrise, interesting shaped clouds played around the summit of Baker.