Lou skiing near Washington Pass, Early Winters Spires to left, looking north at some of the Cascades, eventually going on into Canada. Click most images to enlarge.
Sandbagged by the locals again. When we packed for Cascadian ski mountaineering, no one told us to grab the chainsaw. Typical! Yet, not all was lost when we found the road to Cascade Pass blocked by blowdown. We turned around, drove to Washington Pass, and just did what the PNW residents told us to. Head for white stuff, don’t worry about starting at 2:00 P.M., and have fun.
Why is there never a chainsaw around when you need it? We considered trying the winch, but the way everything was laying together made doing so look like something for the Darwin Awards. As in, 'hey bubba, hold my beer and watch this...'
Only problem with the touring was somewhat scorching heat, but the views distracted.
Cascadian!
The skiing was a bit loose and slushy, but still fun when you're in a place like this.
Louie about midway down, we're looking southeast here.
We had snow from our tailgate, I'm told this is one of the few places in PNW where you get that this late in the season.
Loving having our camper at the trailheads -- sunshine napping was tested and approved by Louie.
Map below shows the region we were in, tour we did goes up valley southerly from the southern loop of Highway 20, next to Early Winters Spires. (The map may indicate we went to the crest of the ridge, but we actually stopped below what looked like a 4th or 5th class scramble to the top. Apologies to locals if I got any place names messed up. Corrections and additions appreciated.
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WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
