Stewart Mountain, Bellingham 12/23

After a morning of kid activities (less good, they have plowed the court just well enough to wreck the sledding), a few hours liberation to ski starting from the North Lake Whatcom trail parking area on the lake.

Better snow cover today than 12/20, where there had only been 12" fluffy over the gravel, that had packed down a little under another 6" new.  There was a snowmobile track going up from the parking lot, which initially I thought was annoying, but it turned out to be the perfect companion, a great luxury wide skin track on the way up, leaving enough fresh on either side for the return.  Could not quite see the Olympics or Coast Range due to clouds  but nice views of the San Juans, Lookout Mountain, and the bay.

At 2450' asl the trail gets flat, so called it good with a 2000 vf climb rather than doing the long flat to the final hill to the top.  On the return, found the snow just the perfect speed to go on down with no need for check turns, but fast enough to be fun.  Just point tips down hill and cruise.  In the few places where the grade was not steep enough in the fresh, ducked into the sled track for a nice glide until it turned down hill again.  It turned out that the track was also perfect for the dogs to tear down the hill and keep up.

1.5 hours up, 20 minutes down including waiting for dogs, ski to the car at 400' asl a couple of miles from the house, pretty cool.