Heather - Maple Pass Loop — Monday, Sep. 23, 2013

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20

We arrived at the parking lot in the late morning under cloudy skies. On our way east fron Mazama, we had noticed all the peaks capped with a fresh layer of snow. We started up the north side of the loop trail through a beautiful forest glittering with droplets of water from the cool autumn showers. Huckleberry bushes are all starting to turn red, and the recent moisture has brought tons of mushrooms up through the forest floor. Wish I knew if any were safe to eat! About half way up to Maple pass, the snowflakes started falling, and by the time we reached the pass,we were trekking through about 4" of fresh powder. Spectacular views of the closest ring of peaks through the drifting clouds. We even saw a distant rainbow through the snow. We decided to hike back down the way we came in. The steep southern half of the loop trail was hidden under snow, and we didn't like the thought of trying to navigate the steep, rocky meadows without a clear trail. The sun did pop through the clouds for a few minutes while we were at the pass, and the snow really started melting fast. So hopefully, there's still time to complete the loop before winter!