Noah's Adventures

Herds of mountain goats, incredible sweeping views, and quality summer skiing. All three were found deep in the North Cascades National Park, but not without many miles spent on the trail.

My day began at 4:00 am at the Lynwood park and ride, where I picked up Arman. We did a hasty gear check, then set off for the mountains. Our goal: climb nearly 5,000 vertical feet up to the top of Sahale Glacier in the North Cascades, and then hopefully get some good turns in.

Sahale Mountain, the bearer of its namesake glacier, is a Salish word which translates roughly to “high place.” Indeed, with a peak perched at 8,681 ft, Sahale is the 36th highest summit in the state. While we wouldn’t be summiting (due to the recommended use of a rope and its added weight), we still had a massive day ahead of us.

Arriving at the parking lot on the edge of Cascade River Road, the moon still spied down on us–even though the sun had already risen. It’s one of the most stunning trailhead lots I’ve ever seen, with huge peaks visible on all sides and little tree cover to obscure them.

We fist bumped, marking the start to a long and truly epic day. The first couple miles follow a mellow grade that switchbacks up the hillside, eventually spitting out on a large slide path.

At around 8:30 am, we reached Cascade Pass, which offers incredible views into the next valley, which is lined with a row of glaciated peaks that look out over a floor of green foliage. We climbed higher still, gunning for a flat spot to take a water break.

Along the way to our break spot, we ran into our first goat of the day, who was living his best life and chilling in the shade off the side of the trail. We bid him farewell and continued until we could see Doubtful Lake, some 1000 feet below.

We took a much needed break with views of the lake, and were rewarded with our first glimpse of the objective for the day: the Sahale Glacier. At this point, 2,000 feet of elevation still stood between us and skiing.

We charged onwards, passing through rolling tundra and stunning alpine grass complete with blooming wildflowers. Though the path steepened, the scenery kept us motivated.

Nearing the base of the glacier, we spotted our first marmots of the day, and I paused to refill my water in a cold, quickly moving stream. The next segment up to the snow was steep, loose, and hot. After some navigating, we crested a ridge to the sight of a huge expanse of snow: the Sahale Glacier.

Beginning our transition from hike-wear to ski gear, the energy couldn’t have been higher. Packs lightened, spirits high. We began on skins, but after a brief mellow section, we were slipping and sliding even with our edges dug firmly into the snow. We made the call to boot pack.

I had recently purchased a cheap, heavy, yet very robust ice axe. Though it was a source of laughter and even energetic praise for other hikers, it suited the glacier climb well.

Lucky for us, (and thanks to our research the night before), the left side of the glacier was crevasse-free, and felt quite safe to ascend and then ski. After a hot, windless climb up the snow, we topped out before the final ridge/summit of the peak.

Without a rope, it didn’t seem worth-it to climb all the way. Plus, we were happy to be where we were. The views speak for themselves.

After taking some photos at our top-out point, we put our skis and boards in descend mode. Time to shred.

The snow was amazing; nearly perfect corn, soft but not too soft. Even without a recent wax, I sped down the glacier with ease. Passing by groups of mountaineers (sans skis) I heard hoots and returned friendly waves.

We veered to our right, following a strip of snow. This may have been a mistake, as it quickly ran out, dumping us in a huge scree field. Whoops. We crossed the loose rock carrying skis in hand and with our boots still on. Finally, we found a large rock to sit on and take off the gear.

After a nice break, we were back on the trail. Some 5 miles of alpine tundra and dense forest lay ahead. We even saw some baby goats! My love for Washington State reached new heights that day, and I look forward to many more epic adventures in her mountains.