Cavorting in the Cascades

Traveling State Hwy 155 north of Grand Coulee, the road intersects with State Hwy 20, and that goes all the way to the Pacific.  Driving along, we noticed we were climbing in altitude, and then quite suddenly found we were in the woods again.  As we crested the 4500 foot Loop Loop Pass (love that name!) we see mountains in the distance…snow-capped mountains…the CASCADES!    

WA state Hwy 20 is called the North Cascades Scenic Hwy, and scenic it is!   In our limited experience with road travel, we thought the only way to see anything worth seeing was from a hiking trail, canoe or kayak.   We have had our eyes opened on this trip!  Many of the photos in this collection were taken from out the windshield of our truck, and how Bernie managed to keep his eyes on the road with so much "eye candy" about is a mystery to me!

Note highway in the foreground of this photo...

...and this!

Lily at a lunch spot

View out our dinette window

Diablo Lake overlook

Early Winter Spires

Liberty Bell

It is worth noting that this highway was only completed in 1972, just a few years after the area became a National Park.   And what an undertaking the building of this highway must have been!   Here are some interesting facts about the Cascades.   First, it is second only to Alaska in the number of glaciers found here, 312 in the Northern Cascades National Park alone--move over, Glacier Nat’l Park!  Secondly, the west face of the northern Cascades receives a heavier snowload than anywhere else on earth.  That’s what I said, on earth!   That snow was still very much in evidence during our early June visit, and we often had to choose different trails from those we’d originally planned to hike, and we were unable to complete some trails we started due to deep snow on the trail.  On the plus side, similar to our experience at Glacier Nat’l Park, there were very, very few people here.   We were told, in fact, that the Northern Cascades Nat’l Park never has an abundance of visitors, even during the couple months of late summer when the snow has totally cleared.

Hiking the last quarter mile in snow

Road to trailhead closed by snow

Trailhead parking lot snowed in.

The road to Washington Pass overlook was closed, but we hiked in.

We took many a wonderful hike during our four days in the Cascades.  These provided close up encounters with beautiful wild flowers, huge old growth trees, and views of incredible mountain peaks and waterfalls.  

Lupine-covered hillsides

Met a young man hiking with skis on his back.  He had hiked up to a glacier to ski and camp.

Alpine lake at end of trail

,

We noticed a distinct change in the plant life of the woods when we crossed over to the western face of the Cascades.   This is rainforest, and it defines the word "green"!!   Every square centimeter was covered with a huge variety of mosses and ferns, quite fascinating to examine.  

The hiking trails often crossed rivers…and that meant walking over bridges of various degrees of, shall we say, "structural integrity”.   

Peggy stands frozen in fear

"Cool as cucumber" Bernie sails over the bridge

Old bridge and new bridge!

Bernie extends a helping hand

Some of you know that crossing bridges over rivers is one of my least favorite things to do!   But dear Bernie held my hand on all such crossings, saving me from what felt like certain death below!  My hero!!!  

So I’ll end this blog entry with a poem called “Silver Star”, written for one of the grandest peaks in the range and posted on the Washington Pass overlook of the North Cascades.    

SILVER STAR

To be a mountain you have to climb alone

and accept all that rain and snow.  You have to look

far away when evening comes.  If a forest 

grows, you care; you stand there leaning against 

the wind, waiting for someone with faith enough 

to ask you to move.   Great stones will tumble 

against each other and gouge your sides.  A storm 

will live somewhere in your canyons, hoarding its lightening.  

If you are lucky, people will give you a dignified 

name and bring crowds to admire how sturdy you are, 

how long you can hold still for the camera.  And some time,

they say, if you last long enough you will hear God;

a voice will roll down from the sky and all your patience will be rewarded.  

The whole world will hear it:  "Well done".

                                                                    --William Stafford

The poem speaks to me about the strength and courage and patience and endurance of mountains…and people making their way through the challenges of life, allowing it to sculpt us into something truly beautiful.  It describes the qualities of the man I most admire, my husband.  Bernie is my “Silver Star”.

On June 5  we board our ferryboat for Alaska.   My next blog entry will come to you from the 49th state...!