Welcome to Thoughts From the Trail, a list of random thoughts, ideas, questions, photos, music, and other information related to my trail adventures, hiking, walking, biking, or other!
North Cascades
The North Cascades are a vast landscape of mountains and valleys, forests and rivers. The preserved lands share governance by a variety of federal and state entities. Driving the North Cascades Scenic Highway and pulling off a few different spots to hike, see overlook views, etc took me through a few different parks and forests. While I made a point to visit North Cascades National Park, most of the trails themselves are a part of other protected areas…something I learned more about the more I explored.
Day 1: North Cascades Scenic Highway / Byway, Trail of the Cedars, Gorge Lake Overlook, Diablo Lake Vista Point, Ross Lake Overlook
October 8, 2021 – By car, by foot
- I resisted many an urge to take photos in order to remain present.
- Reach out and touch things: pine needles, wood, rocks, leaves, bark! Engage all five senses. Keep in mind that some of these are alive and can feel you too.
- If you touch the black, burned part of a tree from a 1922 wildfire, you will have nearly 100 year old ash on your hand.
- I met Malong. She showed me some spawning salmon and taught me her meditation.
- Something about hiking the Trail of Cedars seemed to awaken parts of me. The experience felt like it was “shaking my sleeping self,” and immediately thought of the book by a similar name, To Shake the Sleeping Self by Jedidiah Jenkins. It has been on my To-Read list for a while, so it seemed as good a time as any to take a read. At my next stop, I downloaded the audiobook and listened to it during my drive.
- I love being alone in the wilderness. There is a difference between being alone and feeling lonely.
- If Lord Huron claimed that their album. Strange Trails, was inspired by time spent in the North Cascades, I would believe them.
- This made me in the mood for big trees! What should be up next… Redwood? Sequoia & Kings Canyon?
Day 2: North Cascades Scenic Highway / Byway, Cutthroat Lake Trail, Sauk Mountain
October 9, 2021 – By car, by foot
- I can’t know a smell until I smell it.
- “To who much is given, much is required.”
- There were too many incredible trees to pick just one favorite.
- Trees often make perfect frames for landscapes in the background. I like to think that is intentional. When they’re not framing, they’re pointing, as if to say, “Quit looking at your feet! Quit looking at your phone! Look right here!”
- When I hiked in to Cutthroat Lake, I saw no one on my way up and only two couples at the lake. Quiet; that is exactly how I like it! On my way down, about 30 people passed me; they got a later start and were just now heading in to see the lake. Before I entered the section of pines towards the end of the trail, I approached the clearing that gave a great view back up at the peaks. It was beautiful. And just as I was almost back down at the trail head, the sun was coming up over the peaks, lighting up the larches. One grand finale display in all their glory! It as only that way for about two or three minutes, just enough time for me to notice. And then it started to rain. Sometimes timing is too much for simply coincidence.
- I have always had issues with my feet. I didn’t walk until I was 16 or 18 months old. I had those Forest Gump braces and everything. I’m not self conscious about much, but my feet have always been difficult and ugly. While walking and hiking and climbing, I realize how very thankful I am for my feet. They have helped me log a lot of miles, getting me to places I otherwise couldn’t get to. I cannot imagine life without them. And we’re only just getting started…
- Breathe deeply.
- What makes a mountain “real?” How tall does a mountain have to be before you can say, “I summitted it!” when you get to the top?
- I made it to the top of Sauk Mountain. This is the first “real” mountain I have climbed. The fog socked me in, and I could hardly see 100 feet in front me, so there was no real peak. But that didn’t prevent me from me from knowing that I made it.
Trail Tunes
Most of my drive and all of the time on the trail, I keep it quiet…no radio. While writing this post, though, I listened to this super fitting playlist. Thanks, Sonos!
Post Trail Discoveries
After getting off the trail, I did some additional digging, and found some more things worth sharing:
- I was listening to a podcast about North Cascades National Park and learned that Mackinac Island used to be a national park!
- I thought about “To whom much is given, much is required,” while hiking. I looked it up afterwards and realized it is a Bible verse that can be attributed to Luke 12:48.
- Here is some basic biology behind salmon spawning.
- When does a hill become a mounting? Apparently, there is a scientific answer.
