Cascade Pass

I hiked the Cascade Pass trail, and part of the Sahale Arm trail, on Saturday, September 13 with my parents. After a rather dismal hike (or at least muddy) to Surprise Lake, I was excited that the weather was predicted to be low seventies and sunny skies, which was essential for a view hike. Cascade Pass is my first North Cascades hike, which means more driving but also more spectacular views.

After nearly three hours in the car and 23 miles on the narrow, winding Cascade River Road, we arrived at the Cascade Pass trail parking lot. Mt. Johannesburg towers over the parking lot, with its spiked peaks, glaciers, and lofty elevation of 8,200 feet. Throughout much of the hike we could hear the crashing and cracking of ice melting in the hot sun.
As you climb, you get a better view of the Cascade River Valley. Over these peaks some brave hikers scramble to Boston Basin.The Cascade Pass trail is 3.7 miles each way, with an elevation gain of 1,800 feet. You have to traverse 34 switchbacks (with views of Mt. Johannesburg, Cascade Peak, the Triplets, and the North Cascades on the way) before you near Cascade Pass. The trail levels out less than a mile from the Pass, where you emerge from the trees almost 1,800 feet closer to the peaks of Mt. Johannesburg.
You have to cross an impressive scree on the way to Cascade Pass. Not a place I'd like to be during avalanche season. I was smitten with the fall colors already emerging, and tried to capture them wherever possible.

Mt. Johannesburg, Cascade Peak, and fall colors.
Cascade Pass is just around the corner!
As if the views could get any better, we finally reached Cascade Pass looking east towards the Stehekin Valley trail. Cascade Pass was used often by Native Americans as a coast-inland trade route. There was not much snow left this late in the season. We stopped for our lunch break at the Pass - there are a number of stone benches conveniently placed near the 5,393 elevation marker.Fall colors showing in mid-September. These steps climbed to the rather primitive outdoor toilet available at the Pass.The road to Stehekin. Stehekin is 31.9 miles from the Cascade Pass trailhead. It was fun see the other access point of the Stehekin Valley after the Chelan trip. Maybe next year I will backpack from Cascade Pass to Stehekin.
After lunch, we decided to climb part of the way to the Sahale Arm for a better view. The climb and views were both breathtaking. We gained about 700 feet in a little over half a mile, but we also saw views like this one.
Sahale Mountain, Sahale Arm, and Sahale Glacier. Many hikers passed us with crampons, ice axes, helmets, and other glacier crossing tools. Though I wished for more time to travel closer to Sahale Mountain, I didn't envy their trek across the glacier.Sahale Arm trail.Doubtful Lake, about 800 feet below.
Looking back toward Cascade Pass, we spied five mountain goats along the Ptarmigan Traverse trail on the south end of Cascade Pass with my binoculars. The sheer speed at which they moved along the rocky inclines was impressive. I was very excited to finally see mountain goats (since I didn't see any in Chelan), and also happy to use my binoculars! We could see hikers picking their way slowly across the Sahale Glacier as well.I had to crop off the top of Mt. Sahale, but I think this panorama gives an idea of how specular and expansive the views are.Looking toward Stehekin Valley. The strenuous climb was well worth it.

The trek back down to civilization. If you look in the far left of this photo, you can see mountains and a glacier. This photo shows the diversity of the last stretch of the trail near Cascade pass. I had a wonderful time hiking with both my parents. I have to give credit to my mom, who discovered shortly after beginning the hike back to the car, that her hiking boot sole remained attached to her boot only at the toe. She inventively used a zip lock bag from lunch to hold the boot together for the rest of the over three mile hike to the car.

All in all, the Cascade Pass trail was one incredible hike. This was my first real mountain hike - I felt so small yet powerful standing at 6,000 feet looking across miles of mountains and valleys. After such a hike, it feels strange to hear the roar of cars on pavement instead of ice and snow cascading down mountain sides. To smell exhaust fumes instead of crisp mountain air and heather. I am already eager for more hiking and look forward to taking another brief moment from the chaos of everyday city life.