Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Easy Pass Trail, North Cascades National Park

Twitter
Easy Pass Trailhead, North Cascades National Park, WA
Trailhead Location: milepost 151, Washington State Route 20;
Hike: 7 miles round trip, 2800 ft elevation gain
The first 2 miles of the hike climbs steadily and the trail meanders through hemlock and Pacific silver fir forests.
Hemlock and Pacific Silver Fir Forest
300 yards from the trailhead, there is a neat footlog to cross the Granite Creek.
Footlog to Cross Granite Creek
Despite it was already middle of summer, there were no one else in this trail that made the hike really special for us since the trail was all to ourselves. I guess, one of the advantages of going to a less crowded National Park is having solitude. There were several people who turned in at the parking lot, but after reading the signs at the trailhead, they turned around and drove away, maybe, Easy Pass was not the trailhead they were looking for, or maybe they were just visiting the park from the road. However, the extreme solitude we found in the trail does not mean this is an uninteresting hike, for many believe the Easy Pass and Fisher Basin area to be one of the most superb places in the North Cascades. The short but steep trail is not really that "easy" as one may presume from the name "Easy Pass". Inside the forest, I saw several variety of fungi growing on the trees' branches and some little creeks that their cascades create little waterfalls. They may not be permanent waterfalls, but were just created from all the melting snow.
Group of Brown Fungi
Small Waterfall
( shot without tripod )
After about 1000 ft climb, the trail becomes snow covered and it was hard for us to determine trail.
Snow Covered Trail At Higher Elevation
Our Foot Marks on the Snow 
There were several creek crossing, that added more fun to the hike.
Crossing Easy Pass Creek
(yeah, we had to cross the creek this way)
After 2 miles, the trail emerges into avalanche paths on the flanks of the ragged ridge, with the all the snow however, it was hard to identify the trail.
The Easy Pass Trail was lost in these snow fields, and an ice axe is advised through early summer.
♥♥
Facebook Twitter StumbleUpon Digg Delicious Reddit Technorati Mixx Linkedin

18 comments:

  1. What spectacular scenery and, while I am not sure I would want a place entirely to myself for safety reasons, it is certainly nice not to have crowds of people. It is a beautiful area with the streams, waterfalls, mountains. It must have been exhilirating!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks like a nice play to track. i would not walk on both logs if I was the man,. I always wary that the logs would move in opposite direction.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Footlog bridge crossing to Granite Creek isn't very high is it? Those with a fear of height might hesitate to cross.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ang sarap tlaga tumambay dito hehe...masarap sa mata ang mga larawan...

    ReplyDelete
  5. I wanna walk in the snow too. :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm living your adventure through your pictures, and words, Betchai..What a beautiful place!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, you have a steady pair of hands.

    I tried again on last week but still failed to achieve mine when shot without tripod.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for sharing this info, but most of all the photos, am trying to pick up some techniques from your shots, Beth. I agree with what you mentioned, having people in the background makes a scenery look better. :) Good capture on each one of those shots, Beth! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I prefer hiking when it isn't crowded. While it is okay to occasionally meet someone on a trail, I would rather be alone with nature.

    ReplyDelete
  10. this is such a beautiful place to have an adventure. good work on the photos.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It is so beautiful. That is one of the parks high on my list of places to visit soon!

    Hope you had a wonderful weekend, Betchai.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sistah... you can really pass as a tour guide... you are very knowledgeable and eloquent. And knowing you, the trip will surely be interesting and full of adventure. Your photos are amazing proofs.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The park is located in the massive growth of the Cascade Range northeast of Seattle saw the enlargement of a strip of snow-capped mountains all the way to the Canadian border. Skagit large and many large creeks cut through the valleys finest in the long arm of Lake Chelan in the south or in the extension of Ross Lake serpent in the north end of the park.

    ReplyDelete
  14. As if you traveled through different four seasons there betchai. Priceless.

    ReplyDelete
  15. i am more of a person photographer.. i think having a person as a highlight makes a scenic shot look even more interesting

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow! I would love to walk that trail. Beautiful : )

    ReplyDelete
  17. Being alone is what makes things good for me. I would love going to a place like that, and only with my small group. I really like that log bridge.

    ReplyDelete
  18. As you climb higher, the air gets thinner, I do not know if I can make that trip.

    Very surprising to see snow in the summer.

    What a special treat to your hiking buddies...the park all to yourselves!

    I love nature!

    ReplyDelete

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!