The North Cascades National Park is comprised of jagged peaks, steep canyons, rivers and lakes and more than 300 glaciers. The residents are grizzly and black bears, marmots, deer, a few elk, mountain goats and rarely seen are cougars and wolverines...not to say that they aren't there - just more obscure. We saw tracks for elk, deer, bear and cougar and was entertained by whistling marmots and an ocassional bugle from nearby elk but none graced our camera lense. Entrance to the park is free; however, there are areas that require a fee if parking, hiking and/or camping. The park is spread over nearly 700,000 acres in the north-central section of Washington state; it is divided by Ross Lake National Recreational Area and to the south is Lake Chelan NRA...all three offer stunning vistas and together, more than 400 miles of hiking trails.

We made our base camp at the Alpine RV Campground just east of Marblemount and only 8-miles from the west entrance to the park. The hosts were very friendly and offered many suggestions as how we could spend our time there. Already having an idea about what we wanted to see and do, we accepted their literature and went on with our plans to hike two of their non climbing-gear trails.

Highway 20 is the only access through the North Cascades National Park and the visitor station is just west of Newhalem - about 14 miles inside the park. The visitor's center was undoubtably one of the nicest and most informative centers; there were videos and pictures depicting the natural and cultural history of the park as well as current conditions of the trails. Just behind the visitor's center you can get a great view of Picket Range - the centerpiece of the wilderness but not, by far, the best part of the park. After talking with one of the rangers, we decided on hiking the Maple Loop Trail and the Cascade Pass Trail; she said other than having a little snow in a couple of areas on the Maple Loop, all was great and we should expect each hike to take about 6-7 hours.

We decided to do the hardest part of the Maple Loop Trail first and make the climb clock-wise, leaving the easier but longer, gradual descent for the end. The trailhead started at the Rainey Lake Rec Trail and in .3 of a mile we picked up the Maple Loop Trail. The ascent was a stiff, rock and root marbled trail with short, hair-pin turns and an elevation gain of nearly 3,000 feet in about 3-1/2 miles. The previous months of hiking and climbing helped prepare for the steep and rough climb. At each turn there were beautiful views overlooking lakes, meadows, jagged mountains, and glaciers - giving incentive to continue the climb to reach the most impressive view of all...from atop Frisco Mountain. Once at the top of the summit (around 7,700 feet), the view was astonishing...so much so that the exhaustion and burning calves from the climb up was quickly replaced by the awesome beauty that surrounded us. After spending time taking pictures from every direction, we knew time was getting short and we had to start our descent in order to make it back to the trailhead before darkness set in. We figured it should take us 3 hours or less to descend the 4-1/2 miles and we had about 4-5 hours of daylight...we were in good shape.

As we made our way down the first section from the summit and onto the ridge, we met our first hazard... the trail was snow-covered there were no signs indicating the direction of the trail. Following the footprints through the snow seemed to be the obvious route of travel but after hiking about 30 minutes and coming to a dead end overlooking a straight-down drop-off, we knew we had to back track and find the trail. At this point there was an inkling of an idea that finding the trail may not be so easy. I remembered the last hikers we had passed had mentioned that they had been trying to find their way down (counter-clockwise) Maple Loop for a couple of hours and I thought it was just an exaggeration on their part. After we returned to the first snow-covered section along the ridge, we saw the trail from across the valley but getting to that point would be a challenge. We still had about four hours of daylight but there wouldn't be much time for further back-tracking. As we forged our way across the snow and peered down the mountainside searching for any sight of a trail we finally came across an area that looked hopeful. Off we went to only to find yet another deadend and having to backtrack again set us back another 30 minutes. Now we're getting serious about finding the Maple Loop Trail...the last option would be to climb back to the summit and return the way we came...not our first choice since we would surely be hiking down the narley route in the darkness. Finally, we came across what appeared to be an animal trail heading downhill - the direction we wanted. With a few hours left of daylight we knew we had to haul butt to beat the darkeness. The path finally crossed a trail which also headed down hill and it was obviously a more foot-traveled trail so we decided to take it. As we made our way across the mountainside we knew our time was limited so stopping for more pictures wasn't an option. We could see the trail led into a thick forested area and we knew the light would begin to fade even quicker. A quick check of our supplies...flashlights-yes; jackets-yes; snacks-yes; water-yes and just in case, rain poncho (for making an overnight canopy)-check and bear spray -check... we had our bases covered but the latter was not one we wanted to exercise so we hit the trail hard. As we crossed into the forest, the daylight went dim and the silence of the wilderness started to come alive; it was an eerie yet thrilling sensation being so close to nature and hopefully not being part of "nature's" dinner. Oddly, unlike the other side of the pass, this side had streams running across it, small channels of water cascading down and some sections had areas covered in mud; but, it was flat, it was gradual and we were able to keep a steady but quick pace down the mountain. When we heard the first sound of traffic we knew we had beaten nightfall. At the next turn, nailed high on a tree, there was our first trail sign, "No camping within 1/4 mile of Maple Loop and Heather Trail". As we neared the end of the loop we heard voices approaching - two backpackers heading for the opening just beyond the sign to set up their overnight camp. Although I love the wilderness and enjoy the outside, I have no desire to sleep on the ground where things can crawl on me as I sleep or worse - eat me.

After waking up still laughing and talking about our previous days' adventure, we set out for the Cascade Pass Trail. This was a much easier trail even tough it was longer, it had a smooth and steady ascent with an elevation gain of about 3,000 feet in 4-1/2 miles and, not a loop. During the climb we were teased by the whistling from marmots and the bugle from a distant elk. As we made our way past the 33rd and last switchback, we came to the boulder field (easy enough to cross) then the a short, snow covered area. The trail was easily identified but it was narrow and icy and no room for a mis-step or slip as that could end up being the last step. Making it across the snow field and up the last climb went without problems, we were greeted at the pass by a ranger who had been camping there for the past nine days. He was very informative on the names of the glaciers, mountains, trails and animals. He said he camped on the pass for ten days at a time with one to go then he had 4 days off. Being impressed with his skills and knowledge of the park, we sat and talked for about an hour. We mentioned that while making the climb up, we had passed lots of people making their descent but one guy had passed us - running up the trail and there was no sight of him at the pass. The ranger said he knew him and he was an Ironman participant and he ran the trail often and he had continued down the other side of the pass to connect with an adjoining trail.

After taking one last view of what many call the "Alps of Washington", it was time to make our way back to the trailhead and get back to Marblemount before the last restaurant closed. Unlike the previous day, there were no issues to make our adventure anything but enjoyable. It had taken a little more than 3 hours to get to the pass and only two hours to get back to the trailhead; there was plenty of time to enjoy the view and take pictures of where we had just been. The day was another success and we were satisfied with our visit to North Cascades National Park.

Tomorrow we would make the drive across Washington Pass to Bonners Ferry, Idaho - which would complete # 5 on my 30 year-old bucket list (visiting every state in the union).