My original hiking plans fell apart this past Saturday, so I decided to return to the N. Cascades on Sunday.

I’ve done the hike to Cascades Pass three other times, but I’ve never continued on to Sahale Arm. So, I woke up early and drove the three hours to the trailhead. The old E36 handled the gravel and washboard roads like a champ, and so did the BRZ… for the most part….

^great life decisions.

The previous time I hiked to the pass, there were some spectacular clouds. Today was no different, although, their fluffiness made for some really tricky lighting.

^just me and some mountains.

I came across an NPS film crew that was putting work together for their Wilderness YouTube channel, and I also met a nice NPS crew that was heading to Sahale Arm to perform a butterfly survey. It was their fourth year performing this study; to document population growth/decline and migration of the various species in the park. Having never been to Sahale Arm, I followed them from the pass to the arm.

^Doubtful Lake from Sahale Arm.

While on Sahale Arm, some showers appeared and made their way towards me, not having packed a shell, I got rained on, and I eventually turned back when I hit the snow fields. Before this, while trudging up the arm, I passed a group of Chinese backpackers. However, they would pass me when I’d stop for photos, and I’d catch up (and pass) them after I had gotten my shots.

After this had happened a handful of times, one of hikers goes, “他又来了! 他像一个小火车!”
He’s back again! He’s like a little train!

 

On the way back to the trailhead, an NPS search and rescue chopper started scanning the ridges for a climbing team 🙁  And when I was nearing the trailhead, a series of HUGE avalanches occurred. I wanted to take some video, but I couldn’t turn my eyes away from the sight… Next year’s plan is to hike to Sahale Peak!