Sourdough Mountain

Mike and I went up Sourdough Mountain in the North Cascades this weekend. This was a redemption hike, as we tried to get up there a few years ago, but were stymied by snow.

We met in Mount Vernon around 6 AM, and I was greatly appreciative that Mike was up for leaving Seattle at 5 AM. It's great to make the trailhead before most. One reason Sourdough is a favorite of mine is it isn't too far of a drive from home--less than an hour and half.

The hike is tough. A really stiff climb for the first two miles, and it never really lets up. I think climb is 5000 feet in about 5.5 miles. There was snow at the top, but it was quite manageable, and added to the allure of the lookout. The lookout is well known, as one of the Beat poet lookouts, once giving summer residence to Gary Snyder and Phil Whaley.

The wildflowers are blooming. Columbine, Indian paintbrush, varieties of phlox, and other annual favorites. Now is the time to be up high. The views from the top were spectacular, with Hozomeen and the Pickets Range figuring prominently.

More people on trail than usual. It is the 4th of July weekend.

The biggest highlight was the bear we saw on the way down. The bear was feeding in field, tucked between a switchback. It was not moved by the clapping of hands, or the banging of sticks. It took a good five minutes to convince Mr. or Ms. Bear to move along, and then we seemed to chase down the trail for another 15 minutes, as Bear seemed happy to opt for trail over steep slope. Pretty special stuff.

I was slow going up. When I was in shape, I could do this climb in under three hours, but we took more than four hours. Mike is in shape, and so awesome in accommodating my slowness. We kept a steady, talking pace going up, making it a terrific day with a good friend, on trail. Coming down was tough on the quads. There was some running, albeit slow and stilted. Hopefully recovery is quick.

Return To Sahale Arm

Mike and I went up to Sahale Arm in the North Cascades on Saturday, taking our chances with the weather. We started early, beating any crowd, and had Sahale Camp to ourselves. This was really no big deal at first, considering the whole hike up to the 7600 foot camp was more or less in the clouds. We ran a little, but mainly it was a hike.

We happened across three deer bedded on the way up. Many marmots. According to Wikipedia, marmots hibernate roughly 7 to 8 months a year.

We hiked all the way up to Sahale Glacier, through fresh snow, with the visibility less than 20 feet. The fresh snow made the footing mildly sketchy, but it wasn't that bad.

The hike itself is steep, amounting to a 4000 foot climb from the car to the glacier, at probably about 800 feet of ascent per mile. It is steeper above Cascade Pass, on the way to Sahalee glacier, with essentially two climbs, with something of a plateau in between, above the remarkable Doubtful Lake.

We stood at the foot of the glacier for 15 or 20 minutes, waiting, in a cloud. There were hints of sun and blue sky in some directions, and so we hoped it would open up. Sure enough, slowly, the snow covered glacier began to reveal itself, and then Sahale Peak itself, against a cobalt blue sky. It was downright magical.

Views continued to improve over the next hour. Really special stuff, watching cloud patterns come and go through Cascade Pass, to reveal various peaks and glaciers in all directions. Pelton Mountain. Magic Mountain. Mount Johannesburg. Glacier Peak. The valley down to Chelan. 

In the picture above, there is a little mound in the foreground--that's one of the campsites for Sahale Peak--it is ringed in stones, to protect against the winds. Sahale Peak is this month's cover story hike for Washington Trails magazine, the WTA's periodical. Very worthwhile, though it would be really tough packing a full backpack. Last time up, three weeks ago, I ran into some folks who caught the full moon up there. They called it a once in a lifetime experience. Doesn't have to be, of course.

On the way down, the fall colors became more apparent--much moreso than three weeks ago--as huckleberries, heather and other flora are turning to reds and yellows. The colors will only get richer, presuming the weather holds and the snow doesn't come too fast.

We ran more on the down, but I kept stopping to take pictures. Mike, a much faster runner than me, is very patient, but as he said, he'd just finished Cascade a couple weeks ago, and so I don't think he minded too much. Amazingly to me, he had flown from the east coast the night before, with a 9 PM arrival.

For dessert, as it were, on the way down, we spotted three little specks above Doubtful Lake, perhaps a half mile away, as the crow flies. A mama bear and her growing cubs. We watched them ascend a rock wall that must've been a 5.9 climb.

Sahale Arm

On Saturday, I went up Sahale Arm, off Cascade Pass in the North Cascades, for about 13 miles of trail. The day started with limited expectations. However, due to aesthetic conditions beyond my control, I ended up hiking, sitting, and even strolling more than running, spending the whole day in the mountains. It was an amazing day, with all sorts of wildlife out, and stunning views. 

The big news:  I saw FOUR BEARS! I never see bears, but on Saturday, they were hanging out separately, on steep slopes, just grazing like deer or elk. Three of them were specks, but one was near enough to get a much closer view, and I sat and watched him/her for fifteen minutes. Others reported seeing as many as seven, as well  as a lynx. I saw a few goats near the pass as well.

Hoary marmots and grouse were all over the place. I whistled at the marmots, and they would stand up and look around. A couple of them hung out on this cliff, just looking down towards Pelton Basin. We in my family call grouse "dummy chickens" and nothing I saw on Saturday made me change that tune. I chased one down a trail for at least a 100 yards. All it had to do was leave the trail, but it ran ahead of me on the trail, as if it were terrified. I even found a bear den, or what I think was one—the hole was big enough to cram a few bears in it. It kind of scared me.

My theory is the animals were all out because they need to make preparations for winter. I've heard about this sort of thing on the Discovery Channel.

The high point on the hike/run was 7600 feet, and there was some pretty steep climbing on the arm. I saw one other runner, and he was taking things much more seriously than me, motoring. The campsites at the Sahale Glaicer are rings of stones--there's one in the pic below of me in the foreground, before the sea of mountains. I want to camp there now--the folks I talked to who camped there the night before, under a full moon, called it an experience of a lifetime.

There were clouds in the sky, but everything was visible for ten miles, and that was enough, with Boston Basin, Mt. Johannesburg, Magic Mountain, the triplets and who knows what else viewable. Doubtful Lake is stunning, with an island sitting in the middle. The views to the east, down towards Park Creek and Chelan speak to the imagination. Maybe Labor Day weekend. I saw and even began the Ptarmigan Traverse trail, which is an epic mountaineering experience in the North Cascades.

More pics here.

It was a great day out on the trail, lost in thought, taking pictures, turning corners. I missed out on Waldo, and my congrats to all my friends who did it. It just didn’t sound like a good idea for me this year. Some year, hopefully. My fitness is down, and I can really feel my back when I try to seriously run. I did run steady down from the Pass, and the whole of the day wore me out. I plan on doing Baker Lake as my next 50k, and I’ll have a fun run on Cutthroat Pass in the North Cascades with my family next week, and then volunteer at Cascade Crest.