Newhalem and Thunder Knob
Our first adventures in the North Cascades centered around Diablo Lake. When looking at Diablo Lake (and the Elwha River) you notice that the water is a pretty blue-green color. As glaciers slowly wear down the mountains, the grinding of rock against rock produces a fine silt. This “rock flour” suspended in the water gives it its color! The lake itself was so tranquil, we spent one morning relaxing by its shores. Next to the lake is the Thunder Knob trail which we traversed one afternoon. Everyone that passed us told us to watch for bears as several had recently been sighted but we were bearless. Just passed Diablo Lake was Washington Pass. The road was closed at this pass just days after our visit due to a lightning strike a week prior that ignited a wild fire. This fire burned for months. Newhalem was right in the middle of our campsite and Diablo Lake so we stopped several times. The waterfalls were so beautiful we made an extra trip at night to see them all lit up with colorful lights. Definitely worth the trip.
Maple Pass
The Maple Pass loop would be the second of three longer hikes that we would do while on our trip. While it was more of a medium-distance hike (7.5 miles) we were on the leeward side of the Cascades so the air was drier than we were used to. At this point in our trip this was by far our favorite hike of the trip. The terrain and scenery was absolutely stunning. We found ourselves taking frequent breaks to stare off in the distance, ponder sliding down the mountain and swim in Ann Lake, or watch some marmots. We concluded the day with the world’s fastest bath in the super icy cold Cascade River. Glacial meltwater is cold!
Mt. Baker
Fortunately Mt. Baker did not erupt the day we were hiking on its slopes. It is still an imposing sight and it is not to be underestimated. We wanted to hike the Ptarmigan Ridge but we were too early in the year. Our next idea was to hike the Chain Lakes Loop. Due to melting snow and a lack of experience with ice bridges we decided against this one as well. We settled on hiking up to Artist Point and hiking along part of the Chain Lakes Trail. This was a wise decision as it allowed us to see a restroom buried in snow, amazing views, the epic marmot fight, and the trail was pretty much bare. At least in the steeper parts that is. Artist Point, where the restroom was located, has the world record for most snowfall ever in a season (95) feet. It didn’t snow nearly that much last year and they had just gotten through some record breaking heat. It would be interesting to see how much different things would have looked without that heat. This hike definitely left me breathless for more than reason and I can’t wait to go back!
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