There are 24 hours in a day. For most people, a third of that is spent in a bed getting rest. For us, it was spent on a transcontinental flight, driving to remote parts of the state of Washington, and then taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the Cascade Mountains at sunset.
OK, so, maybe that didn't take 24 hours, but for most of us, we were up for about 21-22 straight hours on Saturday. We were all basically running on pure energy and adrenaline for this trip.
Our trip got a little bit of a later start than we originally planned because of Delta Airlines screwing over Katie multiple times trying to get to Seattle. Although she was scheduled to be the first person from the party in Seattle, multiple delays meant she didn't get in until about 3:30 or 4:00 p.m.
But that all worked out best for the rest of us because we were able to get some lunch at a nice seafood and sushi place called Sushi Today. From there, we found ourselves a grocery store and stocked up for the next few days of hiking.
We are staying in Rockport, Washington, which is roughly 2.5 hours (depending on traffic) outside of Seattle at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and a few miles outside the entrance to the North Cascades National Park.
By the time the van rolled into our Airbnb, it was about 7 in the evening. We took in the nicely renovated mountain house for a few minutes before dumping our gear off and unloading the groceries.
From there, it was go-time. With less than two hours before the sun set behind a mountain range, and with all of us not wanting to miss out on a day in the park, it was time to change up, grab some warmer clothes, and start driving up the mountain.
When talking with our Airbnb host, he mentioned a popular trail - the Saulk Mountain Trailhead - near his house and just outside the actual North Cascades National Park. AllTrails and other trail websites had this as a highly-rated expedition. The trail is only 2.5 miles, and it was on our itinerary until plane delays.
But we all decided that it would still be a nice way to end the day if we could drive to the top of Sauk Mountain, hangout near the trailhead, and watch the sun set over the mountain range.
So, that's what we decided to do.
Our research and the GPS definitely tipped us off to what kind of a hike this would be. Despite only being 9 miles away from our Airbnb, it would take about 40-45 minutes to reach the top of the mountain and the trailhead. You know what that means? Switchback after switchback after switchback. The van held on well, and it gave us our first glimpse into what is sure to be a breathtaking vacation into the woods.
That's a view of Sauk Mountain on this forest road. It's only wide enough for one and a half cars, and there are insanely steep dropoffs on the side.
Still, despite the temperature dropping rapidly - it went from 75 in Rockport to the low 60s on the drive up the mountain - we couldn't help but stop just a few hundred feet from the trailhead and breath in the beauty of this landscape.
After camera click after camera click and everybody uttering the words, "wow," and ",this is unreal," probably 30 different times, we decided to get back in the van and finish the last little trek up the hill to the Sauk Mountain Trailhead.
I hate the fact that I say this at nearly every National Park, especially on the first day that we are there, but these photos will not do justice. I'm working on expanding my vocabulary for what it is like to be about 5,000 feet in elevation, wind whipping at your back, checking out snow-capped peaks miles into the distance, and watch the sun slowly set over the range.
We knew we weren't going to hike this trail this late into the day, but we were hoping to hike about a quarter of a mile to get past some pine trees. From a clearing that we could see from the trailhead, we figured that'd be a great place to get a different view and watch the sun set.
Unfortunately, we didn't get further than about 50 feet before a distinct, musty, dirty smell took us over and leading us to believe that a bear may have passed through pretty recently. On top of that, as we were quietly mulling whether or not to continue on to this clearing, we heard a few grunts in not too far into the woods.
That was enough for us. We turned around and chilled - figuratively and literally as the temperature was now in the mid-50s - by the trailhead for about an hour or so before the sun started to set.
Quickly enough the sun set and threw off a stunning red and pink glow on the mountains behind us.
Knowing that we had a 40-minute descent down this winding, narrow, stone road, it was time to get back in the car and drive with whatever sunlight was left.
By the time we got back to our Airbnb, it was time to eat dinner, do a little prep for Sunday's hike, and then pass out. I don't think anybody was making a sound after 11 p.m.
For now, it's a little after 7 a.m. here in Rockport. I'm feeling rested - as I'm sure everybody else is - and we're gearing up for what should be our most difficult hike of this entire week.
The plan is to be in the van at 8:30, drive to the North Cascades National Park Visitor Center inside the park, and then backtrack just a bit to the Thornton Lake trailhead and eventually make our way up to Trapper Peak. The trail connects to the peak, which will make things nice, but also difficult. Nearly everything we've read shows that this is perhaps one of the best and most scenic hikes to do in this neck of the park.
That's all we have planned for today, and we don't want to eat at 10 p.m. again tonight, so we should be back at a relatively normal time this evening for some well-needed rest.
I should have today's update either tonight or tomorrow morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment