Inspired in the North Cascades: Completing the Inspiration Traverse

Over Labor Day weekend of 2022, Alex and I experienced the highlight of our summer. We went on a guided mountaineering expedition with Pro Guiding and completed the Inspiration Traverse in the North Cascades. The route connects the Eldorado Trailhead on Cascade River Road with the Thunder Creek Trailhead off Highway 20. It traverses six glaciers, presents opportunities to summit multiple peaks along the way, and offers an intimate look at some of the most rugged and beautiful terrain in Washington.

Mountaineering, North Cascades, WashingtonSonja SaxeMarch 20, 2023

Photo Diary: Fall in Washington

I know, I know. It’s nearly Spring 2023 and I’m finally getting around to uploading some photos from trips I went on in September and October. In my defense, work happened to get extra busy at the same time a summer’s worth of backcountry trips left me physically exhausted and mentally drained so I went on a little hiatus. But, I’m back and ready to fully throw myself back into the backcountry while I endlessly search for that perfect balance of going on soul-filling trips without completely depleting myself.

Backpacking Trips, Washington, North Cascades, Central CascadesSonja SaxeFebruary 28, 2023

A Failed Objective in the North Cascades

A season spent hiking and backpacking in the North Cascades wouldn’t be complete without at least one failed objective. After a pretty successful summer run, Alex and I experienced that failure on an attempt to make it to a pair of pretty alpine lakes nestled under Mt. Arriva and Fisher Peak. The final approach to the lakes is known to be pretty sketchy, with multiple route descriptions mentioning a “gully of death” and cautioning hikers to be careful about their route selection. Alex and I had a big traverse planned in the North Cascades over Labor Day weekend so we were looking for a route that would test us—a route that required boulder hopping, route-finding, and scrambling with a heavy overnight pack.

Backpacking Trips, North Cascades, WashingtonSonja SaxeSeptember 25, 2022

Photo Diary: Experiencing Summer at Hannegan Peak

Hannegan Peak is a destination that I’ve walked past multiple times now without truly considering visiting. Hannegan Peak is just one mile and 1,000 vertical feet from Hannegan Pass, a junction I have stood in four times. The first time was when Alex and I were hiking the Copper Ridge Loop in 2019. The second, third, and fourth times were all in 2021 when I was attempting to summit Ruth Mountain (we were successful on attempts one and three). So, for awhile it just seemed that other hikes in that area took precedence.

Backpacking Trips, North Cascades, Photo Diaries, WashingtonSonja SaxeSeptember 13, 2022

A Bucket List Trip in the North Cascades

Before Alex and I even moved to Washington, the Sahale Glacier Camp was at the top of our list of places we wanted to visit. Its sprawling views of the North Cascades and its unique campsites nestled in rock shelters at the base of the Sahale Glacier were enough to pique any backpacker’s interest. And piqued interest, it had. The backcountry permits for the camp are notoriously difficult to get.

Backpacking Trips, North Cascades, WashingtonSonja SaxeAugust 31, 2022 Comments

Ruby Redemption: Skiing Ruby Mountain in the North Cascades

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile you may have noticed that trips and adventures don’t always go as planned and sometimes objectives require multiple attempts before we’re successful. This was the case for Ruby Mountain in the North Cascades. In May of 2021, Alex and I started our tour at the Happy Creek trailhead bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. We knew the day ahead of us would be arduous but we felt we were adequately prepared both mentally and physically. It turns out we were wrong.

Backcountry Ski Trips, North Cascades, Washington, Winter TripsSonja SaxeMay 24, 2022 Comment

Juneuary in Washington: Skiing Loowit

This January offered a string of sunny, warm weekends with relatively low avalanche risk, resulting in many to dub the month Juneuary and head off on adventures usually relegated to the stabler spring months. Alex and I couldn’t let an opportunity to climb and ski a volcano in the depths of winter pass us by so we, too, headed for the mountains. We make it a goal to ski Loowit (Mount St. Helens) once per year and chose this for our Juneuary destination.

Backcountry Ski Trips, Mount St. Helens, Mountaineering, Washington, Winter TripsSonja SaxeFebruary 10, 2022 Comment

An Encounter with Icy Royalty in the North Cascades

The name Snowking Mountain elicits thoughts of icy royalty—a peak draped in a velvet robe of snow in an area that is so difficult to reach it feels as if it were guarded. Snowking resides in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, just on the outskirts of North Cascades National Park and while it may not be guarded in the literal sense, the route requires battling the terrain nearly every step of the way. In fact, one of the reasons this blog post has taken me nearly half a year to write is because of how shaken our experience on the trail left me.

Backpacking Trips, North Cascades, WashingtonSonja SaxeJanuary 11, 2022 Comment