Granite Cliff Studio

Last time we talked Jamie and I were in the heart of North Cascades National Park on the east side of Cascade Peak in the Stehekin River Valley. The time arrived and we had to depart this marvel of nature’s achievement, our next destination was only about 40 miles away, if you hiked. We would be embarking on a 2 day car trip to reach the west side of Cascade Peak along the Cascade River. Just to compare the two river valleys, Stehekin and Lake Chelan were damed and developed with houses and wineries for Seattleites to spend their summer vacations. Still amazingly beautiful, Chelan also gets into the triple digits and it is very dry. On the other side the Cascade River Valley was tremendously deep and steep with lush ferns, mosses and shady cool forests. You can imagine Lake Chelan being the 3rd deepest lake in the U.S. might look like this if it weren’t for the dam. This area was all National Forest and National Park land so there were no houses or accommodations past the halfway point on Cascade River Road. This was where our cabin would be and it had a view of the same mountains that we admired from Stehekin just directly on the other side. To get there though is the beginning of this chapter.

Winthrop, WA

We rolled into the pier at Chelan after our 3 hour tour. Knowing it would be a long day if we did the ferry ride and then drive all the way to Marblemount, we planned one night in Winthrop, WA. I didn’t really do any research on the history, activities or what Winthrop was all about, it was just going to be a stop so we didn’t have to drive too far. Winthrop turned out to be a real cool town with sidewalks made of lumber and all the downtown buildings were styled like the old west. Big saloon doors, rickety old walkways brought to the imagination that there might be a shootout any minute over a poker game. Winthrop’s history is similar to a lot of America. It was a peaceful home to native Americans, there were many rivers in the area and an abundance of food. Europeans came as trappers and then a gold rush. The park became in 1968 and Highway 20 opened in 1972. The townspeople decided that tourism would be their way of existing into the future and they modeled Leavenworth’s Bavarian theme with their own Western flair.

It was nice to walk around and window shop but really a meal was on the agenda. A large all white historic building was the home to a Mexican restaurant, Carlos 1800. It was really good and we highly recommend. The portions were huge and would feed us for days to come, but the margarita was the highlight. It came with a separate shot of Grand Marnier to pour for yourself. We went to bed early so we could get an early start in the park.

Marblemount, WA and Newhalem, WA

An early start on Highway 20, meant nice and cool, temperature in the 30s, and cars on the road were scarce. The reason we chose this park was because it is known as one of the least visited national parks. We had the road to ourselves, first stop was going to be Washington Pass and the Liberty Bell. Driving through the dense evergreen forests along Early Winter Creek, you couldn’t help but envision the opening to The Shining. Where were we going? We pulled over at first gaze of the Liberty Bell, a natural monument covered in glaciers, the sun just peaked over the mountains, creating long shadows in the valley of the pass. A car here and there gave proof of other life and possible trailheads to scenic overlooks in the area. We strolled around the Washington Pass overlook and admired the stone that made up this mountain range. Sheer cliffs teased climbers of the greatest ability. The highway made one single defining switchback to reach this peak and it was an incredible view of man’s perseverance.

Continuing on, the plan was to stop at Rainy Pass and beat the crowds to the Instagram popular Maple Loop trail. A gem of a walk not as difficult as some of the other vertical trails. Hiking is difficult in this neck of the woods, elevation on most trails gain over 3000 feet and in a short distance. I am no stranger to these hikes but it’s difficult when you are on road trip to commit 6-8 hours hiking and then drive 3 more hours. Typically, this being our first time in the area we like to look around and make plans for the next time. Our decision to skip this hike was easy, the parking lot was already full and parking on the highway was already reaching it’s limit. People were everywhere and for me that doesn’t really make hiking enjoyable. We carried on.

The next part of our sightseeing adventure led us near the Canadian border and three large dams. The Ross Lake Dam, the Diablo Lake Dam and the Gorge Lake Dam, all very impressive, the dams create beautiful blue lakes full of glacier water. These dams and hydro power plants create electricity for most of Washington State. Our first taste of this man made wonder was calming, rewarding and breathtaking. There was almost no smoke on this day and the sky was clear, this made for wonderful reflections off the still waters of Diablo Lake, probably one of the most photographed areas in the park. This location definitely had a special feeling to it and we would return a couple more times.

Around the corner was the sleepy town of Newhalem, I’m not sure any one lived there that wasn’t an employee of City Light, the municipality for the greater Seattle area. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005 because of the hydro power and also offers the lowest prices of any urban area. If the first part of our trip was learning about the railroad and the second was learning about homesteaders, thru-hikers and wildlife, this part of the trip was all about electricity and how the power of water can create it.

Newhalem is also the home to the North Cascades National Park Visitor Center. We visited the Golden West Visitor Center in Stehekin which was a nice historic building but this was a state of the art facility. Probably the best NPS visitor center I have been too recently. There was a full hands on interactive museum, an auditorium to view a movie about the history of grizzly bears in the area, a great gift shop and book store. Jamie initiated our first ever parks passport here, stamping the locations that we visited on this expedition. We would return to this area on our last full day to do the Skagit River Loop Trail. A trail that we hoped would lead us to some river otters but we were not lucky this time. This walk through the woods was nice and easy which was appropriate that day due to an increase in smoke and poor air quality.

The visitor center grew our excitement, this was the first of four days we would be in the area. We decided to get some lunch in Marblemount at the Up River Grill and Taproom, where they had a life-size metal sculpture of Sasquatch outside. When in Washington, you get the salmon, the salmon chowder was amazing and washed it down with some elderberry ciders. Perfect, ready for a nap. We were just minutes away from our vacation rental, so we hopped in the Mitsubishi and drove over the one lane bridge that started the Cascade River Road. A true country road that would end in the heart of the North Cascades National Park. Our rental was hidden in thick berry bushes so we actually drove past it and had to turn around at the national forest sign. The gate was a bit tricky but it was nice to have that security considering crime seemed to be an issue in Washington. Everywhere you went there was a reminder to not keep valuables in your car. So I would imagine that vacation rentals would be targeted by thieves as well. Up a short gravel road, we arrived at this beautiful dark brown cabin with a huge wrap around lanai. Eager to check it out we took our first step onto the lanai, looked up the valley and the most amazing mountain view graced us with its presence. This would be our hangout while we weren’t exploring the park.

Our first full day and we were a little tired, watched a little President’s Cup in the morning and we finally had a kitchen so we made a little country breakfast with biscuits, sausages and eggs. Rested and recharged we decided to explore what was a little further down the road. Our trusty Nat Geo map showed the road going for about another 15 miles or so, no problem. We had been to the end of the road in Stehekin so we wanted to see the end on this side. What was a nice road quickly turned into a gravel road and not just that, seemed to be recently graded. The fear in my wife’s eyes became apparent. We have a history with gravel roads that are in the middle of nowhere. From the Big Island to Wyoming, nothing bad has happened it just wasn’t the experience Jamie had anticipated. So here we go again, I am leading us down a road that doesn’t seem to have a comfortable ending. Luckily, this day, I was able to comfort enough and give uninformed promises of, we’re almost there, and continued on this journey. The luck continued and a waterfall here and there would be on the side of the road, the forests we were driving through had glacier streams flowing alongside us, the mood was improving. This road was rough but was also a glorious trek into god’s country. The views started to open up as we were gaining a lot of elevation, there were cars parked on the side of the road and if they would have miscalculated their spot they could have easily fell a few hundred feet over the cliffs. The heart rate, still strong changed from fear to amazement and the suffering was now worth it. Larger waterfalls coming right from the glaciers were visible, we made it. Only a few hundred feet from massive ice fields we parked. We enjoyed getting out of the car and stretching the legs, everywhere we looked was Mother Nature’s gift. This parking lot was very full, it was a weekend in the fall, and the weather was warm. We definitely put this in the memory bank, we will be back and more prepared to hike this area. I was so amazed that we were able to drive so close to these steep mountains, peaks here were only about 7500-8500 feet tall, but resemble the 12000 foot peaks of the Grand Teton Mountain Range. The Cascade River Road was an amazing journey that was full of emotion, the way back which felt like it took half the time as the way there was much more pleasant. We did stop and help a couple of ladies that were lost and missed their trailhead. We were experts now.

The next excursion was a sunset slash astrophotography journey. A new moon is always a great time for Milky Way photos, also being in a dark sky national park doesn’t hurt either. We headed north back to Diablo Lake, it appeared to be a clear night but quickly a large flume of smoke started to overtake the sky. Jamie and I were just hanging out, taking some sunset pics and were approached by a couple of other photographers. We started chatting about the Milky Way and the nearby fires, it was great to listen to these Washingtonians proudly share the great places they have in their home state. I have always been a little hesitant to befriend people here since the Fail Mary but I have to say all the quirky characters really made us feel at home. These are our people, my wife would say, and I think it just refers to the love for the outdoors, the passion to help each other out and just respect for everyone. Patricia showed us some great images from the Mount Baker area, some great heron and owl shots from the archipelago north of Seattle but this was our sign that the nearby fires would not be allowing any night photography at Diablo Lake. Heading back south I knew there was a great attraction that we should check out. The Gorge Power Station had created a small park that had colored lights that lit up Ladder Creek Falls, it was an educational area that showed the magic of hydro power. Unfortunately, the cool and warm lights were not on and they had been replaced with regular street lights. Strike 2 on the night photography, we were able to capture a few cool shots but just wasn’t meant to be an epic night.

Back to our rental we went. I was able to capture some great shots right from our lanai. There was a moment of suspense as I turned the corner and my head lamp lit up some eyes nearby. Definitely caught me off guard and I rushed back inside. Later that night, while sleeping, our little friend returned, I believe it was a bobcat who was snacking on one of the many apple trees. But when I awoke and grabbed my wife so that I had a witness there was also a loud screech, what I could only suspect was the sound of a female Sasquatch in the nearby woods. A long eery shriek echoed through the canyon, obviously the Sasquatch must share the same mating rituals as the other mammals of the forest. We only heard the sound twice but it was difficult to fall back asleep knowing this giant was so close. My face was out the window the rest of the night hoping to catch a glimpse of the allusive legend.

Our last full day in the park was probably the smokiest day of the trip. The smoke was a great addition to some of the beautiful landscapes as we did a couple short hikes. We did a steep hike down to Ross Lake Dam which was not for you if you have a fear of heights. I couldn’t stop imagining the Harrison Ford dummy falling down the damn in the movie The Fugitive. We went back to visitor center for the loop trail and there was nobody around, the nice ranger said that they would be closing for the season in four days. This last day was a nice end to the Looping the North Cascades adventure, there comes a time on vacation where you need to go home just to reset and become grounded again. We cooked an amazing steak dinner with an apple compote and fresh local greens on the side. The produce in Washington is dynamite. The next morning we enjoyed a scenic road led by three different rivers back to civilization. Each river was a different shade of blue, at one of the stops we learned about the rock flour that effects these colors, in other areas I had lived it was known as silt or glacier sediment. We made a lot of stops along the way, trying to prolong our time here.

One of these stops at an old bridge, we walked down to the river to admire the misty morning fog and creamy turquoise water of North Fork Stillaguamish River, we noticed that this was definitely a popular area for wildlife and noticed a variety a game prints. There were bear, coyotes and maybe a faded Sasquatch print in the river bed mud. This will always be a lasting memory of the beauty and roughness of this amazing region. These memories are what taking those chances and traveling are all about. Whenever you want to say, stop, no and don’t. let your inner adventurer take hold and do the opposite.