Up in Smoke - Artist Ridge - Islands to Mountains

Due to several large wildfires, I decided to head up into the mountains to see if I could get above the smoke. Turns out, I couldn't.

Hazy

You could see it, you could smell it. Of course, it's not nearly as bad as the central and eastern portions of the state. The air is virtually unbreathable there!

Huntoon Point/Chain Lakes Trail
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Parking Permit: Northwest Forest Pass ($5 a day or $30 a year)
Elevation gain: ~150'

The parking lot is at the very end of the Mount Baker Highway. I made a quick stop at Picture Lake for an obligatory photo. It's a running joke between me and some friends that the picture has become so cliche, so we add props to the photo. I had a sushi plushie in my car I used for this shot.

Don't ask why I carry a sushi plushie in my car.

A sign at the parking lot shows how far up you've come.

This time of year the trail was clear and snow-free. I started on Artist Point heading out to Huntoon Point. It's a smidge over a mile to go out around the loop and back.

It's a fairly easy and relatively level trail, so it was typically busy.

The further out you get toward the point, though, the quieter it becomes. There were not many hikers out at the actual point.

Lots of grass and barren rock.

Table Mountain in the background

Selfies were taken. This one has Mt. Baker in the background.

Artist Ridge is known for its views, and sure enough, there was an actual artist on the ridge!

I decided to add a bit of mileage by heading out on the Chain Lakes/Ptarmigan Ridge trail, just to the junction (about 1.2 miles out). Someday I want to take Ptarmigan Ridge trail all the way to Coleman's Pinnacle, and I've done the Chain Lakes loop before. Both of those were hikes for days when I don't sleep in and get a late start, though.