Heather - Maple Pass Loop — Friday, Sep. 21, 2012

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20

We choose to do this hike in the afternoon to give the clouds a chance to burn off. As we drove east on highway 20 the blue sky came through, and though cool in the cloudy west side, the temperature rose into the upper 70’s as we approched Rainy Pass. No extra layers of clothing were needed on this hike! We were hoping to catch the larches in their golden glory and we were not disappointed. A good half of the larches have turned. No berries were found to pick but the Huckleberry bushes were aglow in red at Heather Pass. We hiked counter clockwise to take advantage of the more gentle ascent on this beautiful loop trail.