high adventure in the north cascades

bobby lake

golden tamaracks
at the border


from the dried out desert heat and million wildflower shades of a southern california spring to the drenched-bright temperate forest fall on into the early winters of the rugged north cascade mountains, all the days, seasons, and changes that have unfolded on this winding old journey through the western landscape.
we set out into washington during a late summer warm spell, a week of clear blue skies and hot days as we moved north from the columbia gorge and past the cascading ice glaciers of mt. adams and the high peaks and passes of the goat rocks wilderness area. sitting beside lakes and in clear streams and high meadows, walking old forests, the alpine lit up with crimson blueberry fields and yellow-tipped grasses. we were thankful for the sunshine and realized it would be fleeting and surely it wasn't long before the rains came tumbling down, emptying from the skies as great billows of cloud covered and uncovered the mountains. in the central cascades the rain poured and we walked a landscape pocked with clearcut after clearcut, thick brush and young tree plantations soaking us to the bone as we pushed through. masses of huckleberries, douglas fir saplings, fungi emerging from intricate mycelial webs, our dripping raingear, the gray rains indifferent and drenching it all. howling out on the exposed western flank of blowout mountain, the wind pelting us, cloud vapor whipping by and we only could keep moving and accept the water, breathe in the cold, wake up in the morning, put on the wet layers and start it all again. eventually we passed through the cuts, returning to the cover of the old conifer forests, dark tree-tops cutting through the fog, western hemlock and red cedar canopies providing shelter, broad golden devil's club leaves catching the drips, vine maple all vivid yellow and red, the bracken ferns browning and fading.
further north we moved into the roadless areas of alpine lake and glacier peak wilderness. climbing and descending deep valleys cut by the sharp gray-blue fingers of glacier peak. its churning silt rivers leaving powerful marks on the land; thousands of scattered trees and massive swaths of disappeared riparian slopes that were sent tumbling to the sea during the devastating "1,000 year flood" of november 2003.
for the finale it was high adventure in the north cascades, waiting out 72 hours of snow with the wonderful people of mazama and winthrop, returning to rainy pass under clear blue skies, kicking through powder drifts, the cold sunshine bright on the peaks, silent old spiraled black stones glistening with the snows, wind rumbling by. we slowly walked a blank still trail unmarked by humans, only broken by the traveling tracks of the local inhabitants; deer, elk, cougar, coyote, bear, and scrambling chipmunks. three days of breaking trail, exhilarated, mindful, cold, and ecstatic along the open ridges and golden tamaracks, raptors sailing in the winds, enveloped by silence. our last full day out we climbed up to the crest of high lakeview ridge as the orange-red sun began to sink behind the mountains and lit the path. reaching the crest we see the near-full moon rising above jagged three fool's peak, its purple-blue light meeting the fading sun, and the whole land so lucid and beautiful, stone peaks, the steep valleys and rivers descending ocean-bound far below, amazed and humbled by the immensity, by the howling is-ness of it all.
what a process and experience to be able to take part in, reflecting on all the places and people and feeling so grateful for the opportunity. we crossed into canada the next afternoon, october 13th, spent a few hours at the border monument reading the register entries of friends and realizing the walk had come to its resolution. since then we've had warm, dry nights in hostels and the homes of friends and family, sitting beside woodstove fires considering the dark snowy mountains and blowing winds of the cascades and our friends still hiking there.
countless thanks to everyone who has participated and helped in the process of this trip. it has been wonderful to hear from you and to have your support along the way. many thanks to all who made the fundraiser a success as well, together we have raised over $2,000 and counting, closing in on raising $1 for every one of the 2,500 plus miles that we've walked.
today we are setting out for ashland to walk one more stretch of this trail, from southern oregon into california's marble mountain range. thanks to all, and we'll send an update when we have a chance. peace, jeramy

for many more pictures check out www.walkforwild.blogspot.com, and anyone still wishing to contribute to the fundraiser may do so at www.walkforwild.org