Cascades Crown Jewel: Skiing Glacier Peak/Dakobed

At 10,545’, Glacier Peak/Dakobed is the fifth tallest peak in Washington. It’s also the most remote of the state’s five major volcanos. While all of the other volcanos can be seen from major highways and cities, Glacier Peak is the recluse of the group, cradled deep within the Central Cascades and only able to be seen from a highway on the clearest of days and from the most precise angle. Summiting the volcano requires a 34 mile round-trip hike with 10,000+’ of gain and is usually done in two to three days. This is a volcano Alex and I have been wanting to ski since we first started ski mountaineering a couple years ago, but its remoteness and reputation as a rugged peak kept us away until this year.

Backcountry Ski Trips, Glacier Peaks Wilderness, Mountaineering, Washington, Central CascadesSonja SaxeJune 7, 2023Comment

Skiing Ruth Mountain 2.0

This past weekend I finally got to properly ski a mountain that I have been dreaming of skiing for over two years. Ruth Mountain. If you’ve been around here for awhile you’ll know that technically I already have skied Ruth Mountain in May 2021, but unfortunately, it was in a whiteout so it was more survival skiing than anything. Since that trip I have been dreaming of returning in better conditions, but I’ve also been a little apprehensive since our first trip to the mountain really pushed Alex and I out of our comfort zones and pushed our limits physically.

Backcountry Ski Trips, Mountaineering, North Cascades, WashingtonSonja SaxeMay 24, 2023Comment

It's a Party: Skiing the Birthday Tour

On May 10, Highway 20 opened for the season and along with it a slew of ski touring possibilities near Washington Pass became more accessible. There’s a small window each year after the road opens when the snow line still allows for spring ski tours that don’t require carrying skis on one’s back so I wanted to get out there as soon as I could and take advantage of that window.

Backcountry Ski Trips, North Cascades, WashingtonSonja SaxeMay 17, 2023Comment

Ski Touring from the Alpine Lakes High Camp

Located just nine miles from Highway 2 but seemingly a world away, the Alpine Lakes High Camp are an excellent basecamp for backcountry trips year-round. The huts are rustic and off-the-grid, but are still cozy and welcoming enough for large groups and families. I’ve been wanting to stay in one of these huts since I learned about them years ago, but choosing which season to visit was a tough decision.

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, 2023Comment

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, 2023Comment

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