A Larch Loop through Glacier Peak Wilderness
Every fall, Washingtonians flood to the mountains for two to three weeks each October to embark on an annual “larch march”. During this brief window of time, the needles of larch trees in the high alpine turn from green to a vibrant shade of yellow before dropping entirely for the winter. They are among a few species of conifers that drop their needles annually and they do it in such a vivid display of color that people from all over come to see the spectacle. It’s tough to nail the timing of the larch trees turning. It’s a narrow window and can shift depending on seasonal weather patterns, but when you are able to get the timing right the scenes are jaw-dropping. I try to go on a larch march once a year, but I don’t think I’ve ever got the timing quite right. I would either be too early and the trees would still be slightly green, or I’d go too late and entire stands of larches would be brown or naked. Those hikes were still undoubtedly beautiful, but I felt as if I wasn’t getting that experience that so many other larch-lovers get. Until this year.
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Journey to the Chilliwacks
The Chilliwacks are small cluster of peaks located in the northern-most reaches of North Cascades National Park. In fact, they are so far north the trail actually starts in Canada before crossing the border and entering the park. These peaks are known for their ruggedness and remoteness, and like any other rugged and remote places they are not easy to reach. I have had my eyes on a trip to the Chilliwacks since I first saw a photo of Silver Lake in a blog post years ago—which pivotal blog post I saw that photo in has since faded from my memory, but that image of the lake has stayed with me ever since.
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Photo Diary: Vesper Peak
When Alex and I first moved to Washington in 2017 I made a long list of hikes and backpacking trips I wanted to do in the area and Vesper Peak was one of the first I added to my list. Somehow other trips kept taking precedence and Vesper Peak kept getting relegated to the back of the pack. Every year I’d slate it in and every year it would get bumped. This year I was determined to finally make it to the summit so I planned it as the first backpacking trip of the season to ensure we’d do it.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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