[Bright River]

Well, I set out to possibily bag 6 more peaks around Table Mt, N of Mt Baker. I had called the Glacier station and been informed that you can drive to Artist's Point Parking lot but that the Galena Chain Lakes circuit had snow on it. It has been my long experience that the Forest Service says that a trail has snow on it until it is snow free. Besides I had RECENTLY made two trips into the Cascades, same elevation, taken my ice ax and had not needed it. So I left my ice ax home. took 2 and half hours driving to get to Artist's point TH - and it was immediately apparent that there would be no climbing without an ice ax and probably none without crampons for the next morning. While the parking lot was clear, the vertical snow faces amounting to 5-10 feet of snow facing the parking lot told a different story. There was not only snow but a lot of it and very little melted slopes - and no prospective climb without an intervening steep snow slope requiring an ice ax. the snow was beautiful and such a beautiful place, Shuksan never ceases to impress. But My current objective is climbing, so I got in my car and drove back home, thinking about the place I would go on Saturday. Alas, upon arriving home and as I lifted things out of the passenger seat, I heard a HISSSING. So tomorrow will be spent fixing a flat tire.