Best hike ever

9/30/2024 Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm

Last year I proclaimed in my blog that Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm may be the most beautiful hike I've done. It is hard to describe how amazing the views are, and it has goats. On a previous attempt in 2020, my son was not able to see the full extent of the hike due to falling ill, so I was very excited to share this gem with him. Yesterday's hike had all of the grandeur that Sahale has to offer, with the added bonuses of clear skies, fall colors, and a dusting of snow, and last but not least, goats.

The hike can be broken into four segments. The first is the approach to Cascade Pass, most of which is in the trees. We counted 36 switchbacks in this section, which came in handy on the way down as we counted down to pass the time during the only "boring" stretch without views. The last half mile before the pass has wide open views through the valley that set the stage for even more breathtaking views to come.

At the pass is a set of stone benches from which the iconic images of Cascade Pass are taken. For some hikers, this is the destination, making for a moderate-rated hike with a great payoff. From this vantage point you can see part of the very long trail leading to the isolated town of Stehekin, reached only by boat, plane, or on foot (i.e. no roads).

The next segment of the hike begins off to the left of the pass and is a steep ascent through beautiful fall colors. The hike to the pass was a gentle grade, but this is where you start to feel the burn. There are a number of switchbacks through the fall foliage, with open views to the valley the entire way.

Once you reach the top of this steep ascent, the path is more gentle as it gently rolls while it circles around Doubtful Lake and places you on Sahale Arm. This is my favorite part of the hike as you get views of the lake and of the mountains in all directions. You also have a view of the destination point of the trail, just under the Sahale Glacier at the top. It is here that we saw our first glimpse of snow that had fallen the night before, which really accentuated the red colors of the heather and huckleberries.

The last part of the hike was the hardest, as we hiked us steep, loose rock and had to do a bit of trail finding on large rocks covered in snow. Some people said that they chose not to do this last part, and I understand why, especially based on our experience coming down.

Most notably, this is where we saw two mountain goats. The first one was standing directly on the trail, and although he clearly knew we were there, he seemed like he was not going to get out of our way. We got about five feet away from him before he slowly wondered off of the trail. He even stopped to pose for us, shown in the picture at the top of this blog. A second goat was above us later on the trail, but he was more shy and kept his distance.

Once we reached the top, we enjoyed a very satisfying lunch comprised of leftover pizza and brownies. Other hikers that we passed on the way up started showing up, so it was nice that we staked our claim at the campsite (just a ring of rocks). From this elevation, we can see many of the peaks in the distance peeking over the peaks nearby.

This is a tough hike (12 miles and 4000 feet of gain), but definitely worth the effort. Interestingly, there were a number of factors that could have made this an awful experience. The weather was below freezing most of the time, and the occasional wind had a windchill factor of around 20 degrees. We were both feeling the effects of a cold, and we each suffered injuries during the steep and slippery descent near the top. However, those were overshadowed by all of the great scenery along the way and the satisfaction of completing a challenging hike. And I think you may have picked up on the fact that I really like hiking with goats!