With forecasts all over the state mentioning a chance of rain, the Leavenworth area looked the best: only a 40% chance of showers. The forecast also predicted a breezy day, with wind gusts. Why not go to Windy Pass?



My teenage son and I set out from the Eightmile trailhead looking into almost solid overcast, but only a light breeze. That would change. By the time we got to Little Eightmile Lake a bit over an hour later, a cold wind was coming over the lake to chill us. At the junction, we took the Trail 1554 route up toward Lake Caroline, through a charred forest adjacent a rocky red mountain face. Thus far we had encountered only a slight bit of drizzle, and remained dry. We put on our jackets to eat lunch, then took them off again once we started moving. During our nearly 2000 foot ascent to the pass above Lake Caroline, the wind gusted frequently. We kept hearing sounds like children squealing, intermixed with whistling. We finally realized that the sounds were caused by the wind gusting through the charred tree branches. The range of sounds was amazing, constantly changing pitch, and seeming to move all around us as the wind kept swirling. I had never heard anything like it before. It was pretty eerie, and a wonder to behold.

We dropped down over the first pass at 6300’ to Lake Caroline. There were several nice campsites, inhabited only by a half dozen ptarmigans. We continued onward to Little Caroline Lake, and then more climbing. As we entered the exposed basin below Windy Pass, it got noticeably colder. We stopped to don our jackets while still a couple hundred feet below the pass. On top, the pass was not only windy, but fiercely cold. I’m not a good judge of wind speeds, but I know it’s pretty stiff when gusts make you lose your balance! Visibility was pretty good, up to the cloud layer around 8000 feet. The summit of Cashmere Mountain (8507’) became visible, but only for about two seconds before clouds moved in again. The pass was just too cold; our fingers felt frozen after just a few minutes.

We started back down and had an uneventful descent. The clouds coming out of the west were darker, but we remained dry. And once again the wind played awesome tunes for us in the burnt trees on the slope above Little Eightmile Lake. I’m glad we went on this hike on a windy day. About a half mile before reaching the parking lot, a curious doe stopped to exchange glances with us before slowing wandering away.

There were 2 signficant blowdowns on the way to Little Eightmile Lake, and none beyond. The wind insured that insects were not a problem. The trail was clear of snow, and had no significant wet or muddy spots. Parts of the trail are overgrown enough that trekking poles are a hindrance.

Note: On August 28, 2008 there was a sign at Windy Pass announcing that the trail down to Trout Creek and Jack Creek was closed due to the Jack Creek Fire. Check with the local authorities for current conditions.