Huntoon Point Snowshoe — Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023

My first overnight snowshoeing trip. Got lucky with the weather forecast, as the previous day it had snowed several inches, and it was supposed to be dry and partly sunny until the following day.

Mt Baker Hwy was a little slick on the way up, and we saw one vehicle that had gone off the road down a small embankment, so use caution and go slow. As it was a Saturday during ski season, there were cars parked all along the road starting just past Picture Lake. Got lucky and found a spot in the Heather Meadows parking lot. NOTE: if you plan on parking here overnight, you’ll need to reserve a spot online ($32), per the sign at the start of the Wild Goose Trail to Artist Point.

Trail conditions were excellent with the fresh coating of powder snow. Quite a few people out snowshoeing this day, but it never felt crowded. Made it up to Huntoon Point in about 2.5 hrs (w/ several stops for photos) and with plenty of daylight to set up camp.

Temps were in the teens, I’d guess, with a mild wind. Got pretty darn cold overnight and the wind picked up a little, but we were mostly protected behind a small knoll. Moon was very bright, and headlamps weren’t necessary when getting up to go potty overnight. Slept horribly. Awoke to pinkish skies starting in the east, so hustled and got dressed, so as not to miss sunrise. Sky got progressively more colorful with each passing minute, eventually spreading about 270° from the north all the way around to the west.

Wind started picking up and temps were pretty uncomfortably cold, so ate quickly, packed up, and headed out. Saw two other overnighters on the way down. Took about 1.5 hours to hike back to the car. Cold night, and would do a few things different next time to stay warmer, but the scenery and solitude made the miserable cold worth it.