July 9-10, 2011, Hidden Lake lookout

what an absolutely magnificent weekend.  Kacie, Lisa, Agi, and myself headed down south on Friday night to the Hidden Lake parking lot where we set up a small camp and enjoyed some fine hoppy american beer (Ruination is now one of my favourites!).  We woke up at about 8:30am and started our journey up the trail.  We reached snow just before the avalanche runout, and threw our skis on once reaching the opening.  It was pretty slippery so the girls ended up bootpacking the rest of the way.
We went slow and steady since we were in no rush and reached the col a few hours later.  It was a mix of sun and cloud but it felt like 25 C when the sun was shining straight on us.. wow.  And the views.. words can't really describe how insanely beautiful the surrounding 360 degrees is.
We took the skins off and traversed below the cornices looming above us where the lookout is.  After a small scramble and boot pack, we made it to the hut!  Definitely the best hut I've ever been in.. unreal location, double bed, all the amenities you could think of, and great history to read and live through.
The sunset was stunning and we could see every peak surrounding us.  The rest of the night was spectacular too with the stars, moon, yummy stir fry, and a bunch more hops.  We went to bed around midnight and decided to wake up for sunset at 5am.  It was very worth it!  The glow on all the surrounding peaks was gorgeous.. we could even see Rainier glowing red in the far distance.
Now onto the skiing!  We left the hut around noon, scrambled down to our skis, and traversed back to the col.  It was then all down from there.  The snow was good corn, although with some small sun cups and avy debris in the chute.  We had met a snowboarder and hiker the previous day and saw some other tracks that must have been within the past couple days.  Otherwise, the whole mountain was all ours.. excellent way to finish an epic weekend.
This was the third attempt at reaching the hut for me, so I was just so happy (first time we were stuck in clouds so camped at the col, second I forgot my ski boots outside my apartment, 4 hours away.. ugh).  It's a bit of a slog to get there, but this has been one of my most memorable summer skis to date thanks to the shear beauty of the area and great friends.  Highly suggested !!