Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm — Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2000

North Cascades > North Cascades Highway - Hwy 20

This was my second time to the pass and the arm, first to the glacier. Honestly, I considered this to be my off-week due to extremely difficult trips to Image Lake and the Enchantments the last two weeks. That’s not to underestimate the difficulty of this one though. The drive up the sometimes narrow, sometimes steep Cascade River Road is nice because it brings Cascade Pass into the realm of the day hiker and Sahale Glacier to the overnight backpacker. Unfortunately though, I couldn’t help but think that a road should have never been constructed here; especially in the North Fork Cascade Valley. As has been repeated a number of times in guidebooks, the view from the trailhead is as good as climax views at the end of many hard hikes. A road should not be in this sub alpine wonderland. Oh well, not much we can do about it now. The Cascade Pass Trail was in nearly perfect condition as always and I made it to the pass in about an hour and a half. There was the usual social gathering at the pass (even on a Wednesday) so I packed a little further to a shady spot to rest up for the grueling climb ahead. The first part of the Sahale Arm trail really took it out of me. It’s mostly the abrupt change from the wide well graded pass trail to this steep narrow tread that provides a psychological downer. Don’t get me wrong; it’s in better shape than most North Cascades trails. The tread is bad but there are no dead fall and little brush. My last time here, I did this part with very little weight. I was able to make the 800 foot climb to the arm in about 20 minutes due to a time constraint. This time, with my full pack it probably took me twice that. Still I was passing many day hikers. Finally, I reached the arm and views up to Sahale Mtn. and down to Doubtful Lake. Trail quality improves at least temporarily as soon as the ridge is reached although it stays steep for awhile further. As you come over a rise, views open up even more to Forbidden and Torment and level ground is reached. This is definitely the limit of a logical day hike for most folks. You are now unarguably in the alpine zone, no trees. Only low growing shrubs and a few flowers. And the marmots; they are pretty much a constant part of the scenery here. The fact that this is prime marmot habitat is compounded with the dozens of day hikers having lunch here every day. After a flat open area that provides knee buckling views of the final arduous climb to the glacier, nearly all vegetation is abruptly left behind. The trail leaves the actual crest of the arm and heads pretty much strait up a moraine. This is where the trail gets very steep and a little sketchy. Actually there are at least two paths that appear to lead you to the same place eventually. At one point, the grade slackens off a bit but all trace of formal tread disappears in a boulder field. Try to follow cairns. I can almost guarantee you’ll fail. Just head strait up the hill and a little to the right. You should be able to see tread above you. This tread slaloms (I wouldn’t call them switchbacks) very steeply up the moraine to a minor gap in the recent terminal moraine of the Sahale Glacier. Go left for the strange composting toilet (Harvey Manning was wrong; this is America’s best view from a toilet seat! not Image Lake). Go right up the knife edge terminal moraine to find the camps. These camps are carved out of the rubble with low rock walls to protect them from the wind. THEY ARE SMALL! Leave your super luxury 8 person two room car camping tent at home. I barely got my two person REI Trail Dome in one of the sites. I didn’t check out all the sites, some may be larger but I doubt it. YOU MUST GET A PERMIT TO CAMP HERE. You must camp in a designated site in this national park and this is a popular area. Pick up a permit at the Marblemount Ranger Station. First come, first served. It is not fun to arrive at a remote campground late in the day, permit in hand, and find it full up with illegally camped ignoramuses. Also, if you’re not sure about the difficult and potentially dangerous climb to these sites, don’t get a permit! You are taking them away from people who are prepared. You can camp in Pelton Basin east of Cascade Pass and day hike to the glacier if you wish. The ranger at Marblemount said I got the last permit for the night (I got there at about 8AM on a freaken Wednesday). Somehow, I was alone during the night. I guess a large group was being irresponsible. All of this said; this camping experience at 7,600 feet, high on a big icy mountain was one of the highlights so far of my hiking career. The view from southwest to southeast was absolutely astonishing. You are now within a few hundred feet of the top of Johannesburg which towers incomprehensibly far above the trailhead. You can see right over the relatively low but jagged ridge directly south of Cascade Pass to the Ptarmigan Traverse region of the crest. Formidable and Spider are particularly outstanding. Also see southwest to Snowking and Buckindy. Further south to Sloan and Monte Cristo. The tip top of Glacier makes an appearance above the summit ridge of Formidable. See southeast to the gigantic and seemingly isolated mass of Bonanza and all the lower but very jagged peaks in between. Directly east are the high spires of Buckner and Goode. In evening light, the west face of which looks strikingly like the “shining wall” of Gasherbrum V in the Karakoram of Pakistan. In the early morning, even Rainier is plainly visible lit up like a lantern with pink sunrise. Eventually, it is lost in haze. Seeing all this in the gentle light of sunset and sunrise are absolutely worth carrying a overnight pack up here if you have good balance and lots of strength. My one beef about this trip is that I couldn’t climb Sahale Mountain only about 1000 feet above. Of course part of this is over the pathetically small and nearly inactive Sahale Glacier. I was by myself, and glacier travel isn’t exactly the most intelligent solitary activity. What sealed it was that I forgot my sunglasses. Not too bright on a south facing glacier (actually quite bright). Oh well, that will be left for another trip (this is the kind of place I want to return to annually anyway). In the morning, the weather appeared to be turning (the sunrise just managed to break through the lowest layer of clouds for only about 5 minutes). I cooked breakfast as it started to sprinkle and packed up camp quickly. By the time I was ready to go, it was clearing again and the day turned out to be beautiful due to the flushing out of the atmosphere. Just a warning to you. The warm south wind of afternoon and evening will likely turn into an icy breeze off the glacier by morning. Have warm clothing in even the most benign weather. The hike down was enjoyable as usual. A sentinel of marmots on their hind legs guarded my passage down the arm. The usual social gathering at and near the pass provided good company. The one downer was a man with his dog off a leash on the way to the pass. Dogs are not allowed off leash anywhere in the mountains and not at all in the park. I warned him that there was a ranger at the pass and that it was a stiff fine if he was caught. He contested that he didn’t see a sign and continued on. Whatever. I confirmed my memory when I got to the trailhead: a huge wood sign practically standing in your way on the trail saying NO PETS. Idiots will be idiots.