Cady Ridge, Lake Sally Ann — Sunday, Aug. 22, 2004

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - East

Frank, his dog Zoe and I headed to Lake Sally Ann. The border of the Henry M. Jackson/Glacier Pk Wilderness is my favorite area in the state. The Cady Ridge trail is in excellent condition thanks to a facelift it received a few years ago. It's steep in places, and turns into a series of quick zig-zags near the top of the ridge. But once you huff up to the ridge, you are rewarded with the finest idyllic meadow-walks around. The fireweed is partially in it's late scarlet stage and partially still bright pink. The hellibore is partially in it's yellow fall stage and partially still brilliant green. This makes for a beautiful geometric burst of colored strata in the sloping meadows. The color in the dim rainy light was so bright and vivid , it was like walking in a cartoon! The fog made wonderful moving sculptures across the landscape, and we were happy to spend a lot of time gazing out at natures art. The final meadow walk rolls on for what seemed about a mile, before hitting the PCT. Hang a left and a few minutes later you're standing at Lk Sally Ann. NO SNOW at Lake Sally Ann this year. I was so stunned, Frank coulda knocked me over with a feather. I didn't tell him that, of course, 'cause maybe he woulda done it. It was cold, cold, cold, and rainy, but we had a great time anyway. We were just happy to be outdoors, and rain is just a part of the whole picture. Saw a black bear on the road on the way out.