Ptarmigan Ridge

March 25/26 , 2006

Trip Report | Julia's Photos | Jason's Photos | Chris' Photos

Jim wrote this TR:

A quick TR to put some context to the superb photos Jason and Julia posted today of our trip this weekend to Ptarmigan Ridge / Table Mountain.

All: please jump in add your own impressions and correct me where I go wrong (this was my first trip to the area).

Saturday morning found the lot of us (Jason, Julia, Vlad, Chris - Ridgewalker, Tracy (L) and me) heading down in two cars via Sumas crossing to Mount Baker recreation area. We parked near the Lodge, geared up (packs stuffed to bursting with overnight gear, ropes, harnesses and whatever luxuries we could manage - few), and headed up the groomed slopes and eventually a trail gradually gaining elevation towards Table Mountain ridge.

It was just short of noon, the sky was clear blue with just a smattering of clouds, and Mount Shuksan rose majestically from behind the ski slopes. Shortly into the trip the intense sun and heat of the midday saw us stripping down to T-shirts (shorts would have been nice). We steadily gained the toe of the ridge to Table Mountain, traversing to the north through trees to join an established ski trail along the northerly (?) slope of Table Mountain, with Shuksan looming behind us and Baker looming ahead (again, my directions may be off, so please correct me if I'm wrong).

We stopped for lunch before the traverse across the slope beneath Table Mountain, where I discovered both the folly of packing one's food at the bottom of a pack and the joy of finishing off some hot tomato soup in a thermos (thanks Julia!). Replenished, we beat our way across the slope, maintaining a relatively level contour, dodging the odd pinwheel of snow sluffing off the upper reaches of the slope.

We moved quickly and at relatively wide spacing with out beacons on, until we reached the far end of the ridge, then gained the elevation to a small plateau near the end of the Mountain where we struck camp in the mid-afternoon sun amidst wind-blown drifts for protection. The snow was in superb condition, packing down nicely underfoot for solid level tent pads, and we built our communal kitchen.

After dinner we struck up the slopes above us to gain Table Mountain, snapping some group photos and taking in the spleandour of Baker in the evening sun.

Though still distant, the peak loomed high above us, seeming to beckon us to give her a try the next day. As daylight waned we plunge-stepped back down the hill in gathering cloud and fog to our camp, and Jason set about some innovative photography as darkness settled over us.

The temperature dropped to a good 10 to 12 below and the evening cloud cleared to reveal billions - and I mean billions, of stars standing out in 3-dimension in the night sky. I swear it was as though we were in outer space - I have never seen such density of stars (except perhaps atop Birkenhead in summer with Chris - Blackfly and Tracy (L)). If I hadn't already removed my contact lenses I'd probably have seen meteors and satellites. Packed into our down coats and parkas, we made final preparations for night, and after watching the last of the sunset in the west, Jason, Julia, Vlad and Chris ventured out for some photos (see Jason's gallery).

Our sleep was interrupted only by the scittering of snow against the tents mid-morning. Around 7:30 a.m. we awoke to foggy snowing conditions, finding our tents and the camp under several inches of fresh snow. Breakfast found the snow melting quickly on our parkas, inspiring us to break camp and return to the Lodge area for crevasse rescue, rope travel training and the like. We left the campsite in heavy fog around 11:10 a.m., using a combination of memory, slope contours and compass bearings to retrace our steps in strong cold winds and blowing snow along the return traverse of the slope (about 1 1/2 km), fairly quickly finding the faint snow-filled remnants of our trail from the previous day which we followed back to the end of the ridge where we stopped for a quick bite.

From here, we struck high on the ridge, emerging just beneath the prominent peak, where Jason's GPS waypoint, a quick check of Julia's map and some group route-finding decisions led us gradually down the ridge to eventually emerge beneath the cloud and fog on the groomed trails, meeting skiers and snowshoers on their way up the ridge into the fog.

Our journey ended back at the parking lot around 2 p.m. A quick change of clothing at the Lodge and we were on our way back to Sumas. We debriefed at "Bob's Burgers" then headed back to Vancouver for some well-earned rest.

Although we did not end up in crevasse rescue and rope-team practice, the trip took on quite a different significance, providing invaluable winter camping experience in varying conditions for newby campers like me, and perhaps even more importantly, the opportunity to try out various route-finding skills in white-out conditions in circumstances where we were not in any serious risk of losing our way. The group dynamic was strong and I have firmly established trust and respect in my fellow travellers, each of whom contributed to the travelling, camping and route-finding experience.

Thanks all for a great weekend!

Trip Report | Julia's Photos | Jason's Photos | Chris' Photos