I actually did this "hike" without snowshoes. Probably the only year I could get away with it given how little snowfall there was. The temperature was astoundingly warm for the time of year, and the ski resort below was scraping by with patches of dirt poking through the melt. This is a great climb though with fantastic views. It really gives an amazing panorama of the area, including the highlight, Shuksan. I did this in my waterproof hiking boots and did just fine, but that may have been a fluke with the weather. I'd imagine this gets pretty powdery in the dead of winter on a normal year. Once I reached the top I was treated to some pretty blustery winds and cooler temps, but it was still bearable with a few layers and waterproof clothing. I brought my film camera with me and it was a real challenge changing film at the top with the howling wind. My fingers just about froze in the process. It's neat to see all the snowshoers, skiers, and snow campers at the top. Tents were lined up, and tracks covered the entire summit area. I really enjoyed the hike up and the views, and would recommend this to anyone wanting to get a great look at the North Cascades for how little effort is needed to get to the top. Or you could just do it in the summer when the road is open and you hardly have to hike at all. Up to you!

Sunday was a welcome reprieve from a very soggy Saturday. I spent the day taking an avalanche course with a group of students which included testing our search and rescue skills with beacons and probes, evaluating potential avalanche terrain, and building snow pits to analyze the snowpack for hazards. We started the day at the Mountaineers Lodge where a bunch of us had been staying for the weekend. Since the main goal for the day was learning about avalanche safety, we started the day by first reviewing the avy forecast published by NWAC as well as the weather forecast for the day. The any report said that avalanche danger was considerable above treeline and moderate near and below treeline. We had anticipated a mostly cloudy day, but the blue skies came out to greet us around lunch time. We took our time hiking up the side of the Mt. Baker ski area toward Austin Pass. The wind was gusting around 5-10mph and there was some precipitation early in the day. The snow was wet and heavy from all the rainfall over the past few days and there wasn't much of it. We were all shocked at how quickly we reached the ground while digging our snow pits. After reviewing the snowpack, we decided to continue up the snow covered road near Austin Pass heading southeast. We then veered uphill from the road to Artist Point and Huntoon Point. The slope heading up to Artist Point was packed with other skiers and snowshoers. At an easy pace we reached Huntoon Point in no time and caught glimpses of Mount Baker, Table Mountain and Mount Shuksan in the distance as well as some Canadian peaks that unfortunately I don't know the names of. Turn around for a moment though and you might've missed some of the views. The clouds were rolling in and out of the area throughout the day obscuring some of the prominent peaks at times. We had lunch at Huntoon Point and then headed back down the same way we came. With the sun out, many of us got down to our base layers to cool off. The way down was a little slippery, but sliding a bit is half the fun. Great day with a great group and some blue skies to boot!

Arrived at the ski area parking lot at 9am, strapped on the snowshoes and headed up along the ski run then veered off to austin pass. it was a beautiful morning with few clouds & bright blue sky in a winter wonderland. reached artist point with only a handful of others around. slowly made our way to huntoon point and fully explored kulshan ridge. went above artist point to an exposed rock for lunch stop while staring at shuksan. slowly made our way back down, stopped to watch skiers coming down from herman saddle. it got cloudy around mid morning but it didn't spoil the awesome views! this is a spectacular snowshoe!

We started at 4AM in order to take pictures of the sunrise, and returned at noon. Snow was frozen and difficult to snowshoe smoothly due to frozen footsteps, but doable. We saw a few people using crampons, and that would probably work just as well given there really wasn't any sinking into the snow. Note: the parking lot went from empty when we got there to cars parked down the road when we left.

The snow on the trail was mostly icy and crunchy, and MICROspikes served better than snowshoes for probably the first 3/4 of the hike. Snowshoes were very helpful trekking along Kulshan Ridge though, as we headed out to Huntoon Point. The scenery up here is just as breathtaking as everyone says it is. Just incredible! For first-timers, here are a few notes I think are helpful. Drive the Mt. Baker Highway all the way up past Heather Meadows as far as you can, and you'll find a lot on the right. Park here and head up the groomed trail near the bathroom. Follow the Ski Boundary lines up to Austin Pass where the road switchbacks to the left. It's here you head off a little to the right. There are plenty of tracks to follow as you shortcut the winding road and meet up with it later. The trail description above is a very helpful guide. And the extra effort to hike off to the left along Kulshan Ridge is well worth it!