Photo Diary: North Cascades Flightseeing Tour

In late October, Alex and I went on a trip that I have been dreaming of for years: a flightseeing tour over the North Cascades. I’ve long wanted to go on this flightseeing trip with Snowking Aviation, however, I had specific conditions in mind for our eventual flight. I wanted to fly in fall, after the first couple snowstorms coated the mountainsides in a blanket of snow, but the alpine lakes still remained unfrozen in their basins. Fortunately for us, those conditions happened to line up perfectly on Sunday, October 25. Alex and I drove to Concrete, WA (just over an hour and a half outside of Seattle) in the late afternoon. Already the sun was sinking on the horizon and the sky was overcast. I was curious what the mountains would look like during our flight—we were scheduled to take off at 4:30pm, which would mean we would be flying during golden hour—but clouds seemed to blanket the sky.

The flight turned out to be more beautiful than my wildest dreams. Beautiful late-afternoon light filtered through the clouds as we flew over countless peaks, lakes and passes on the ~50 minute flight. While I knew the North Cascades were rugged and massive, this flight put into perspective just how massive the range is. It felt as if we were looking over a sea of mountain peaks and were merely a speck in the sky.

We also got a chance to fly over Hidden Lake Lookout and see the entire route we skinned up (and skied down) last March. As we passed over jagged peaks and inky lakes, my mind was abuzz with ideas for future trips. The amount of backpacking, climbing, and skiing opportunities the “North American Alps” have to offer are virtually endless!

I feel so inspired to return to the North Cascades by land and by air. I’m hoping to ski a few of the peaks we saw this upcoming season. Fingers crossed!