There are a number of months in the middle of each winter when the crews who work Washington’s North Cascades Highway don’t even attempt to plow the roadway and keep it open for cars and trucks. The highway crosses two mountain passes, one of which is over 5400 feet in elevation, and the peaks near the route are steep and subject to avalanche. I suspect it won’t be long now -- a winter storm is forecast for the next several days -- before officials close the highest portion of the highway and it won’t open again until about Easter.
My friends and I decided that we’d do one last hike up off the North Cascades Highway, before it is gated for the season. We met early at a park & ride near Seattle (that’s when I shot the sunrise picture you see above) and we drove north to Mt. Vernon, then headed east to Rainy Pass. We parked the car, donned snowshoes, and hiked south. Several hours, four miles, and 1800 feet of elevation gain later we reached Maple Pass, elevation 6800 feet.
The spot was spectacular, with views to forever, and beyond. I pulled out my backpacking stove, melted snow and boiled water for the group, and we shared hot chocolate and chai over lunch. I made a number of photographs, including one series of images in a panorama that I could piece together later on the computer (click on the tiny, middle image below to see it at a larger size.)
Warm sunset light kissed the peaks around us during our hike-out, and it was dark by the time we reached the car. We headed home, stopping along the way at a wonderful Mexican restaurant in Burlington, where we ate to excess and talked excitedly about the fine trip we’d shared.
These Mountain Days: Wow, Wow, Wow.
