Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm

GWEN'S HIKE-A-THON HIKE NO. 3

What can I say, I'm an alpine junkie. I love extreme. Extreme beauty, that is. I'm also inherently lazy which means I want maximum beauty for minimum effort. Cascade Pass fits that bill quite nicely, if you don't include the drive time in the factor. Of course the other thing I love is solitude and/or quiet company which is something you will NOT get at Cascade Pass or even beyond if you continue up Sahale Arm (though they do thin out after the pass). But if you time things right, you can have some peace and quiet for a least a little while. If you can, hike on a weekday and, regardless of what day of the week you hike, start early. Next time, I think I might try for a dawn start. (I also might put a 30# pack on my back and spend the night up at the glacier camp.)

So the biggest problem with a hike to Cascade Pass is that it's a 2.5 hour drive from home (near Woodinville). You want to hit the trail by 8:00? That's a 5:30 (or earlier) departure from the house. I am NOT a morning person. But for THIS hike, I can suffer. The reward is worth it!

5:15 AM and I was on my way (after trying 2 other times to leave the house - really, the brain just doesn't function at this hour). I headed north on Hwy 9 then east on Hwy 530 through Darrington to Rockport. I prefer this route to taking I-5 because fewer people travel this way, it's more scenic, and I get to avoid driving through Burlington and Concrete. Plus there's that view of Whitehorse Mountain. (Okay, there was no view of Whitehorse Saturday morning because everything was fogged in, but there would have been if the fog had lifted.) Saw a couple of does ON the road, one with a fawn in tow, but both were spotted with plenty of time to slow down and allow safe passage. By 7:00 AM, I've turned onto Cascade River Road and by 7:45 AM I've reached the parking lot which is already holding way more cars than I had expected. (Oh, right, it's a Saturday.) After fitzing and futzing, I was on the trail by 8:10 AM.

The trip up was quiet. Regardless of the number of cars, I seemed to beat the rush. Clouds obscured the surrounding peaks and kept the views down low. Early on, I was serenaded by the constant sound of rushing water as snowfields melted from the face of Johannesburg. The trail was lonely and I was aware of only one other pair of hikers just a switchback or two ahead of me. Tread is in excellent condition, water on the trail is never deep, and mud spots are easy to step over (or through). At the moment, snow is encountered around 4,500' but is easy to walk on and never obscured the trail. Just follow the boot path. I reached the pass with minimal effort and the clouds had cleared for my arrival, leaving me with nothing but views and a single companion I had picked up along the way (from the pair ahead of me on the switchbacks). The two of us quietly shared the view out toward Pelton Basin while a marmot scrounged for food below. Soon his hiking companion arrived and it was just the three of us. And then solitude was lost as one more, and then another, and another, began to arrive, including a party who'd just descended from the glacier camp after a night beneath the stars. Time to move. Onward and upward!

The climb up to Sahale Arm is a stiff one, but with non-stop views, you really don't notice that you're exercising your legs and your lungs. With Cascade Pass at 5,400', you're pretty much in subalpine zone here; the air is thinner and you might not be used to it. Just go a little slower and remember to drink lots of water. At the moment, there are two snow bridges to be aware of as you make your way up to the arm. For the moment, they are safely passable but they are also melting quickly. It's not a long drop to the streams below the bridges, but it's enough that you might twist an ankle or fall down a steep hillside. No reason to turn around, just be aware. After that, it's just lingering snowfields, none of which pose any trouble, though a pair of trekking poles might offer you a bit of stability.

The meadows are in early bloom with plenty more to come and if you love wildflowers like I do, they can be pretty distracting in your quest to make progress up the arm, but push on because it only gets better and better with each step you take. The side trip to Doubtful Lake (doubtful it will fully melt out this year) looks to promise solitude if that’s something you’d like to re-gain, but the 360° views are up. It’s your choice. (Only strong hikers should attempt both in a single day.)

I topped out at about 5.5 miles and 7,200’. (Despite publishings to the contrary, I think Sahale Glacier Camp sits at about 7,500’ or 7,600’.) I’m guessing I was about a half mile below the glacier but was starting to experience a bit of agorophobia + altophobia. (Probably the reason I’m not much of a peak bagger.) The trip back down to the pass was swift despite constantly stopping for photos. I was grateful to have brought my trekking poles as they eased the stress to my aging knees.

Saw a small family of goats on the way back from Sahale Arm (Yay! I saw goats!), two adults, one teen and two kids, and passed a bajillion people huffing their way up to the arm. Other wildlife encountered was a mother grouse and her two chicks and my temporary hiking companion spotted a bear (just after the pass), though I was too late. Didn’t bother to stop at Cascade Pass again as it was heavily populated (at least 30 people) with more arriving at all times. The trip down was swift but I’d certainly had enough of the switchbacks by the time I reached the car.

STATS
Miles: 11.0 RT
Elev Gain: 3,685' (a little over 1,000‘ more than last week)
Hiking Time: 8.5 hours (food, photo, and general gawk breaks)
Encounters: 1 marmot, 3 grouse, 5 goats, a handful of horse flies, hoards of people.
Bug Bites: 1 (after the hike, changing into shoes and driving clothes, on the back of my heel, of all places!)

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