It is said that Mt. Shuksan here in Washington state is the most photographed peak in the world, and, though I have no idea how one would prove that statistic as fact, neither do I have reason to doubt it. Two friends and I snowshoed last weekend on a sunny and mild, almost spring-like day, in an area where Mt. Shuksan loomed so large and provided such a picturesque backdrop, it was hard for we three hikers to get into any kind of rhythm of movement because we kept stopping to take pictures.
The place-names we encountered on our hike are indicative that even map makers for that area have been similarly wowed by the views of the stunning mountain. My friends and I began our hike, for example, by snowshoeing across the frozen and snow-covered expanse of a lake that in summer perfectly mirrors Mt. Shuksan. That lovely body of water attracts so many tourists with cameras that it is named “Picture Lake.”
We hiked for several hours and gained about a thousand feet in elevation, climbing to a high, snowy ridge. In the summer when a nearby road is melted out, this spot is only a half-mile walk from one’s car, and apparently, many a beret-wearing being has pulled a sketchbook from his or her day pack or set up an easel here to draw or paint Mt. Shuksan. I make this supposition because the spot is called “Artist’s Point.”
Winter’s snow makes this place one of relative solitude, however. One has to snowshoe or cross country ski several miles to get Artist’s Point, and most folks won’t do that. From my lofty perch, I looked out over a landscape of white, and could see a number of peaks I have either climbed or could at least identify. To the north was American Border Peak, and close-by, to the west, was the third highest peak in the state, Mt. Baker.
It was late afternoon and I could see that the sky would be clear in the west at sunset, which gave me hope that golden, end-of-day light would glow on Mt. Shuksan. I timed the hike back to the car so that I’d be able to put up a tripod and patiently wait for what I suspected might be an incredible light-show on the mountain.
Nature did not disappoint.
