Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm
When we venture out into the wild, we are as prepared as we can be. Thank goodness we brought our warm gloves and warm sleeping bags! We began our adventure by hiking up to Cascade Pass on an overcast day. It was chilly at the Pass, and the clouds/mist parted enough for us to see the mountains and get some photos.
We began to head up Sahale Arm and were joined by a snowstorm! It was gorgeous! The snow changed from huge fluffy flakes to pellets and then back again. We met the ranger on our way up the scree field to Sahale Glacier camp and he informed us we only had about 900 feet of elevation to go! The higher we climbed, the colder it got. At the top, we quickly set up the tent at 7,710 feet elevation and began the process of making our dinner. The lasagne tasted wonderful!
Bedding down for the night, we listened to the gale force wind howl and the snow pelt the sides of the tent. We were quite comfortable since our tent was inside a circle wall of rocks piled up on one another. At 5 am I awoke to a sunrise and Jeff got out of the tent to take some morning pictures. By the time we ate our breakfast of bisquits and gravy and downed our coffee, it began to fog in.
We packed up our gear and headed down the scree and boulder field and then out onto the Arm and down to Cascade Pass. A flock of little birds flew around us several times while we were on the Arm….they were amazing! I made friends with a little marmot who came out of his hole to chat with me at length (while Jeff snapped pictures). At Doubtful Lake, we had a “sucker hole” (Juneau for a sun break in the clouds) and got a great view of the lake and waterfalls. On our way through another scree field, I made friends with a Pika who also wished me a “good day” and let me talk to him!
By the time we got to the Pass, there were about 30 people sitting on the large stone slabs, including the Ranger we saw last night. He was glad we made it through such a blizzard condition night! It was a highway of people from the Pass to the parking lot… Labor Day Monday!
We ate at the Buffalo Run Restaurant in Marblemount and had Buffalo and Elk burgers! Delicious! Great place to eat! Got home into the sunshine of Whidbey Island and warmed up! This is one of my top 5 hikes…a classic favorite!
