Heather - Maple Pass Loop — Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20

My husband and I decided to stop for a hike on our way across Hwy 20 to Winthrop for the weekend. After browsing WTA, I decided on Maple Pass, being the perfect length, a moderate challenge and a loop! Weather was cloudy with occasional showers as we pulled into the parking lot. We pulled on our raincoats and gaiters and hit the trail along with a few other groups. The first view of fall color was when we popped out of the forest into an avalanche chute. Back into the forest we climbed a bit more and came around to the split for the lake. By then the rain had gotten a bit heavier but we soldiered on. By the time we started along the ridge above Heather Lake, the rain was starting to become "fluffier" :P We took shelter for a few minutes in a grove of trees and waited to see what it would do before ultimately deciding to continue on. The higher we got up the switchbacks, the more the rain changed to snow until it was all white fluffy stuff coming down. We got up to the first meadow and had our close-up view of larches. We pressed on to Maple Pass under a heavier snowfall. The snow was a couple inches thick by the time we made it to the pass. We took a short break before deciding to turn back, not wanting to tackle the steeper section on the way down from Maple Pass. As we worked our way back down the trail, the sky started to clear and we were rewarded with awesome views of Cutthroat Peak across the valley.