Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm

My yearly sojourn to Sahale Camp is always a welcome respite from what ever else I am doing. Living close by it's easy to arrange the trip when the weather is good and so I leave early, arriving at the trailhead right after sunrise, and start the hike through the forest to Cascade Pass. The last switchbacks break out into the sun and the views open up wide. The trail now becomes more insistent, demanding your attention as it gets steeper. Passing Doubtful Lake the pathway leads upward onto Sahale Arm...the beauty is unmatched. Passing an abandoned mine the Arm is carpeted with swards of grass, heather and wildflowers. Just as you approach the final push to arrive in camp a sparkling stream of fresh glacial water offers you a drink. The camp is filled with wonder and magic. An ocean of peaks. A medley of colors. Deep green valleys and jagged spires. Welcome to Sahale Glacier Camp!

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Washington's jagged North Cascades are wild, but not inaccessible. Only an hour from the small town of Marblemount, Cascade Pass Trail leads to expansive views and verdant high mountain passes within a relatively easy 4-mile hike. From the start, this switch-backing, cross-country stroll through subalpine terrain is like something out of The Sound of Music—you'll half expect Julie Andrews to whirl past glaciated Johannesburg Mountain, Cascade Peak, and The Triplets any moment. The observant hiker will also spy occasional glimpses of Mounts Baker, Shuksan, and Rainier in the distance. Bears (both grizzly and black), agile mountain goats, photogenic marmots, and elusive cougars share the valley with a frequently international assortment of trekkers. Valerian and lupine wildflowers abound in the early summer, and ripe huckleberries provide a tart afternoon snack. At the Cascade Pass junction, the trail branches steeply up Sahale Arm, towards the highest backcountry campsite in the North Cascades and a bird's eye view of Sahale Glacier.

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