Had an amazing overnight at Artist Point and learned a lot about snow camping…

First, pack is heavier than summer due to extra gear.

Second, everything freezes.  Frozen boots were impossible to put on in the morning.  Next time I’m dropping hand warmers in them or placing in a dry bag at the bottom of my sleeping bag.  Same plan for water bottles.

Batteries go faster in the cold and lighters are useless unless kept warm in pocket.

Two pads made huge difference.  Changing a into dry base layer was helpful.

oh yeah, trip report… insane alpenglow, clear star filled skies and quiet 360 degree views all night long.  

Not easy to carry weight in snowshoes, not easy to deal with cold but reading up and buying a little gear helps.  Tent without mesh and good sleeping bag very helpful.  Relatively short hike and one bar of cell service certainly reduced risk.

Lovely (albeit below-freezing) day for a snowshoe at this very popular spot! 

Road/parking: although temps got below 18 F, the road to the top was well-sanded and not icy at all. It helps that it didn't snow at all last night! Arrived to the ski parking area with no issue getting a spot at 8:30am on a Sunday, but things were filling up quick. The large overflow lot looked mostly full.

Trail: it's easy to get turned around with all the ski activity. Go to the large parking lot, and find the restrooms. Immediately to the left of them is where the snowshoe route starts. Currently, the path is well-compacted and pretty straightforward to follow if you keep the ski boundary to your left as you ascend. If you want to get your money's worth with your snowshoes, there's plenty of soft snow to stomp around in off the main path.

Crowds: I don't think it would be exaggerating to say that there were hundreds of snowshoers and skiers enjoying the beautiful day. Plenty of room for everyone (if you're able to find a parking spot, that is!).

What a sunny day today. Arrived around 10:30 and had to park along the road just past Picture Lake. Navigation was easy because there were already many paths to follow, and snow on those paths were packed. Saw a few went up with spikes only, but snowshoe should be needed towards Huntoon Point. It also got more windy up at Artist point.

Did not find the outhouse at all today 😀

What a sunny day today. Arrived around 10:30 and had to park along the road just past Picture Lake. Navigation was easy because there were already many paths to follow, and snow on those paths were packed. Saw a few went up with spikes only, but snowshoe should be needed towards Huntoon Point. It also got more windy up at Artist point.

Did not find the outhouse at all today 😀

We did this trail through the REI guided snowshoeing program. It was a gorgeous day, sunny but freezing. Needed all the snow gear including ski pants, 4 layers, gaiters and of course snow shoes. 

The REI program is marked as vigorous (level 4 out of 5), and that's on point. Beginners to snowshoeing can do this, as long as you can hike up rattlesnake ledge. There are some steep sections, on which you have to go slow and dig in with your snowshoes. The REI guides took us away from potential avalanche areas. The good thing for beginners is that there would be a lot of people on the trail, especially on sunny days/weekends. 

Coming to the scenery, it was absolutely magical. We got only glimpses of Mount Baker from Artist point. But Shuksan continued to swerve in and out of clouds, giving us continuous companionship on our trail. I have never been to the Baker area in Jan, and with the amount of snow, it felt like we were on some Himalayan trail.