A Redemption Summit on Snowking Mountain
In 2021, Alex and I set out to climb Snowking Mountain, a regal peak nestled in the depths of the North Cascades during an intense heat wave. We underestimated the amount of water sources along the route and ended up dangerously dehydrated on the most exposed section of the approach. By pure luck, we stumbled upon a tiny snow patch melting in the heat and were able to filter a couple liters of water that saved us. By the time we made it to camp at Cyclone Lake, we were exhausted, dehydrated, and mentally fried from the entire experience. Instead of attempting the summit the next morning, we packed up camp and headed back to the trailhead, tail between our legs. Once safely home, we wrote this one off for good.
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The Elusive Snowfield Peak
Over the Fourth of July weekend, my friend Kara and I climbed Snowfield Peak, a mountain that we have been wanting to climb since 2023. Each year, some weather-related event prevented us from even stepping foot on the trail. In 2023, just two days before our planned trip, the Pyramid Area wildfire sparked and the entire area was closed. We decided to find a different objective since we already had the time set aside and climbed Chiwawa Mountain in the Glacier Peak Wilderness instead. In 2024, the weekend we scheduled our Snowfield climb coincided with an oppressive heat wave that swept into the region and, not wanting to haul our overnight gear and glacier gear up in the heat, we pivoted to doing Sloan car to car instead. This year, we decided to plan the trip at the beginning of the season to try to avoid the wildfires and heat waves that can afflict the North Cascades later in the season. The strategy paid off. Finally we got our Snowfield summit!
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Sahale Spring Ski Tour
I’ve visited Sahale twice in the past, once in fall and once in summer and on both those trips I marveled at the views, but I also wondered what the area looks like blanketed in snow. I put the idea of a Sahale ski tour in the back of my mind and waited for the right conditions. Our friends Adam and Meredith own a property on Cascade River Road and Adam mentioned earlier this year that he really wanted to ski Sahale too, so we put it at the top of our list and waited for a good forecast. This past weekend was forecasted to be favorable, clear skies at night to ensure a solid refreeze and sunny during the day for (fingers crossed) good corn. After years of Sahale being an idea in the back of our minds, it was finally going to become a reality.
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Trail Running the Stiletto-Copper Pass Loop
Alex and I had planned for our summer/fall hiking season to end with our Ice Lakes backpacking trip the first weekend of October. We thought it would be the perfect way to wrap up the season with a larch-yellow bow. Then we saw the forecast for the second weekend of October and knew we had to squeeze in just one more trip. The forecast was downright summer-like with clear skies and highs in the 60s. Alex needed to leave for a work trip on Sunday so we couldn’t go on another backpacking trip, but we could get out on a day hike or trail run on Saturday.
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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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Ruth Mountain Annual Ski Trip
There are many ski tours I do once and while I enjoy them I do not have the desire to repeat them. There are also a small handful of tours that I could do again and again, year after year. Ruth Mountain is one of the latter. The view from the summit is one of my favorite views in all of Washington and the ~3,000’ ski down Ruth’s face is one of the most enjoyable lines I’ve experienced in the backcountry. So last weekend, Alex, Sander, and I set out to ski Ruth in a day. I already had two successful ski summits under my belt, one time in a whiteout with Alex that I am reluctant to even count, and a second time last year with my friend Andrew. I was excited for Sander and Alex to ski Ruth for the first time in—fingers crossed—good conditions.
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A Gold Star for Silver Star
In early 2018, just after completing my AIARE 1 course I bought the “Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Washington” book and began leafing through the pages and dog-earring tours that looked like fun and adventurous objectives. One tour that immediately stood out to me was Silver Star. It looked wildly scenic and it seemed fun to be able to ski a prominent peak of Washington Pass, but I knew it would take awhile for me to gain the skills and practice necessary to successfully ski it. Plus the timing and conditions would need to align. It was a tall order, but this past weekend everything fell into place and Alex, our friend Sander, and I skied 1,500’+ of spring powder from the Silver Star Col!
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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.
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