Drove out to Baker for a quick night hike up to Artist Point. The road from the lower parking lot was closed but completely clear and plowed all the way to the Artist Point parking lot. From there, everything is still snow covered but navigating isn't too hard when you know the general direction you are going. Snow was pretty icy for the most part but a small amount of post-holing took place. Arrived in the Artist Point area around 1:00am to a gorgeous, clear night with very little moon pollution and virtually no clouds.

I spent the weekend practicing various snow- and ice-related skills near Artist Point at the Mount Baker ski area as a Mountaineers field trip. There was quite a bit of new snow, soft and unconsolidated; it was hard to try to glissade and simulate ice-axe arrest, but we made it. We dug trenches in the snow with our butts and then used them to slide down the hill again and again until the snow became harder. Those of us with cheap, nylon snow pants were sliding easier, faster. I had the more expensive OR Gore-Tex rain shell pants, and they were acting as brakes; picking up speed was a challenge. The backcountry skiers and snowboarders were out in force, we crossed paths with many of them. The weather was unrewarding on Saturday, cloudy with bouts of snowfall, but much better on Sunday. Because of the high layer of fresh snow (more than 1ft) the avalanche danger was high, so we stayed in the safer areas.

My buddy Chad and I were determined to get to Artist Point regardless of the weather this weekend and try our chances in getting out to Ptarmigan Ridge and/or Chain Lakes in the afternoon and on day 2. We arrived at the Mt Baker ski area around 10:15 Friday morning (still temporarily closed). Some clouds, visibility was good. Recent snowfall made snowshoes a necessity after just a few hundred yards. We reached Artist Point (about a 2 mile hike, depending on how direct you go). We could see the top 4 feet of the outhouse roof. We continued past Artist Point and up toward Huntoon Point. We found a suitable place for our site (protected from the winds from the north and west). By the time we finished digging out a level spot and getting our tent in, the snow started falling. And falling. Soon conditions were near white out--we could only see 6-8 feet in front of us and quickly realized that the smarter choice would be to stay put. Dug a partial snow cave and practiced using our avalanche beacons. The snow kept falling until around midnight. The moon came out for awhile and then rain starting falling sporadically around 3 or 4am. We hoped morning would bring clear skies but visibility was still pretty bad at 7am, and it was snowing again. Given the hard layer of snow, with about 8-10 inches of new snow overnight, we weren't confident avalanche conditions were in our favor. So we did some snow shoeing around Austin Pass and made our way back down to the ski area. Cloud breaks gave some spectacular views of Shuksan and nearby peaks. Wow! Lots of friendly skiers on their way up for fresh powder.

Driving to trailhead was easy (just drive to the Mt. Baker ski resort). Hiked this trail (without the dog I usually bring, although there were plenty of others on the trail) with a group of female friends in February. The snow was packed along the trail; my friends wore snowshoes, but I wore just my microspikes. I'd recommend microspikes as a better fit at this point in the year since the snow was deep but hard packed. The view from the top is lovely although the light snowpack evident in all the mountains this year is a little worrisome. Enjoy!