The Challenge:

What to do on a holiday Monday? Hmmm…how about snowshoeing at 5100 feet? Sounds perfect.  Urban Dictionary defines POW as “The best type of Snow. Fluffy and soft. Best when untouched.” With the idea of POW on the mind, we decided to get up at the ass crack of dawn, make the 2.5 hour drive to Artist Point and seek out this naturally occurring phenomenon.

Artist Point is located near Mount Baker in the North Cascades.  The 4 mile roundtrip snowshoe hike will definitely get the sweat rolling as you ascend 1000 feet of deep POW.  We strapped on the MSR snowshoes and started the climb with Baker the Akita in tow.  This was actually Baker’s first time on his namesake which was a sight to see. The POW was so deep, every step made a giant sinkhole.  Our poles were working overtime to keep us afloat. Even Baker was sinking step by step up to his chest.  Who ever said hiking in the snow wasn’t a workout? Jeez. We started to shed layers due to overheating and noticed that the sun was finally starting to peak out over the horizon.  We proceeded to trek down the valley towards the creek that was still fighting to flow through the powder.  The water running under the snow was a transparent blue, a color that was never in your grandparents color wheel chart.  Baker, being the most daring of us at this time, decided he wasn’t going to wait for that icy cold beverage and proceeded to creeks edge for a refreshing drink. At that point, all jealousy set in. We had also earned that icy cold adult beverage. We hiked back up the valley to the ridge line and descended back to the trailhead. Watching the sun peak through the North Cascades on an epic powder day was a sight to see.

The Reward:

Chair 9! Chair 9 in Glacier is a great place to enjoy that much needed après beer.  Chair 9 has multiple yummy draft beers on tap from Kulshan Brewing in nearby Bellingham.  We also enjoyed some wings and pizza which where both phenomenal to say the least.

Recommended beers: Bastard Kat IPA and Good Ol’ Boy Pale Ale.