Saturday, May 5th, my youngest brother was in town after working the previous week in Portland, and we, brother Tim, son Edward and myself, decided to go snowshoeing, something none of us had done before. We had been told that if you can walk you can snowshoe, and we found that to be true, and had a wonderful day, though the weather could have been better.
Artist's Point is at the end of the Mount Baker Highway and at over 5000 feet elevation provides wonderful views of the surrounding peaks, Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker, Coleman Pinnacle and Ptarmigan Ridge. The three mile road from the ski lodge below is closed during the winter, however, and Artist's Point is accessible only by skis or snowshoes.
Mount Baker receives some of the greatest snowfall in the world and holds the world record for snowfall in a season, set in 1999 of 1140 inches (95 feet) / 2896 cm. This year there was well over 800 inches and last summer the road to Artist's Point was never opened because of heavy snow the previous winter. There was still over 20 feet of snow when we were there.
We left the parking lot at the ski lodge at 7:30 am and headed up the trail following the tracks of a few others who had been on the trail before us (we found them setting up camp at the top). It took us an hour and a half to reach the top with plenty of time for pictures and we spent an hour at the top before heading back down arriving at the vehicle around 11:00.
The total trip was about five and half miles with a little over 1000 feet gain in elevation. The only disappointment of the day was the weather which was mostly cloudy, allowing only occasional glimpses of the surrounding peaks. The only views we had were of Mount Shuksan from the lower ski lodge where we stopped on our way out, but even then the clouds were still rolling in.
We also stopped at Hannegan Pass on our way back and walked up the road a ways, hoping to see Mount Baker, but it was completely obscured. We did get some pictures there of the Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) blooming and of the moss on the cliff face, but that was all. In spite of the unsatisfactory weather, though, the trip was well worth the time and effort.
9 comments:
I think the cloudy sky adds quality and drama to the photos
I have not been snowshoeing for some time.
The cloudy sky did make for some nice pictures and some "mood," but it would have been nice to see the peaks as well. Really enjoyed snowshoeing and will certainly be doing it again soon.
Hey, amazing photographs! I like how the mist veils the mountain tops, creating a mysterious atmosphere :)
Greets,
Holiday Rentals Saas Fee
Thanks, Sara, for visiting and commenting! If this had been anything other than my first attempt at snowshoes I would probably have been thankful that we didn't have clear skies, but we really wanted to see the peaks and have my brother see them who is from out of state.
Thanks, Roxanne. It was really a great day and a great experience. We are going to do it again in a couple weeks and hopefully will have better weather.
Hi Ron,
You're such a phenominal photographer. I'm so glad I found you on Flickr. I love to travel, but have'nt had the opportunity to do so for years so I love seeing new places thru your eyes. Thank you for sharing. If you & your family ever want to come to Atlanta, GA contact me & I'd be honored to show you the wonders of this part of America. God bless you & your family. Sincerely, Karen
Hi Karen,
Nice to hear from you and we will certainly get in contact with you if ever we are in the Atlanta area. To my shame, that is one part of the country I have never visited. Thanks, too, for the kind comments on my photostream.
Beautiful series of photos! Gorgeous scenery =)
~Fizzie~
Thanks for checking out this post, Fizzie. Continue to enjoy your posts on Flickr.
Post a Comment