Island Peak – 19 Days to Departure - Hidden Lake Peak Lookout

WOW would be an understatement for the sight of stars covering the sky as far as the eye could see as we stepped out of the lookout after a delicious dinner consisting of polenta and hearty stew and found comfortable seats on the boulders nearby to enjoy the show. The night was calm and moonless; the darkness long swallowed the surrounded mountains and only an occasional dim flicker of light at the bottom of the valley reminded us of the civilization some 3000 feet below. 

Life could not get much better considering that we had no idea what our destination will be when we left Seattle earlier that morning. All we knew was that Sahale Glacier Camp, our original choice for the weekend, was full, and so were Pelton Basin and Basin Creek as we learned upon our arrived at Marblemount Ranger Station. Our choices shrunk but  we were in North Cascades, and even the limited options called for a tough decision – camp along the ridge of Sourdough Mountain with a spectacular view of Ross Lake to feed our eyes, or head to the Hidden Lake cross country zone to spend the night in the company of some of the most amazing mountains in the area. There were 2 groups already headed that way, and though chances of spending the night in the lookout itself were slim, but we were due for the annual visit so the decision was made to camp by Hidden Lake anyway.

It was an ideal day, warm but not too hot and practically windless with blue sky and clear view of the surrounding mountains which slopes started showing first signs of fall as the flowers faded and the blueberry foliage turned them crimson red.

Our energy level was surprisingly high, and we zoomed through the forested part of the trail, and entered into the meadow, where the trail was the steepest. We did not let the incline slow us down, and even under the load of overnight packs made a good time to the top of the hill. This was where we caught up several backpackers, taking a break after this challenging section and wishing them a good day we passed them and let the trail lead us on, traversing the slope on nearly a flat path with amazing views of Mt. Baker and other peaks everywhere around us. 

Soon we arrived to the final section, a faint path and a boulder field, and then there was the reward – a 360 degree view of North Cascades. The sound of guitar and a chorus of voices from the summit was an unusual welcome, and as we got even closer, a smell of freshly made chicken noodle soup added to our curiosity.

The source was a group of 6 Ukrainian teenagers who arrived at the lookout at an early morning hour with an intention to spend the night; however now after nearly whole day up there they were reconsidering their plan, and indeed after about an hour of deliberating the group announced that they have made their decision…. and that they will be heading back down. 

So there we were, moving in the lookout for the night together with Dave, a navy pilot, who arrived to the top shortly ahead of us, and was happy to share the lodging. We ate dinner with a view of stunning sunset over Mt. Baker, watched the night sky with Milky Way running right over our heads, and woke up to a colorful sunrise with its red hues reflecting of the calm surface of the lake below us. One could hardly find a better place to escape for the weekend!

Hidden Lake Peak Lookout 10/11/2008

The week was chilly and brought first solid snow cover to the
mountains. It was clear we'll get to enjoy some of it since we were
starting high and gaining 3000 ft.



The recently reopened road to the trailhead was in perfect condition.
Steep in places but as smooth as mountain road can be and my Focus had
no problem making its way up.

The morning was chilly and with the first part of the trail leading
through forest where sunshine could not reach, we started with gloves
and hats on. Soon we reached 4300 ft where we saw first signs of
snow. The snow patches on and around the trail became more frequent
as we gained elevation and the snow cover got solid in about 5000 ft.



There was a section with several icy patches where we had to be
careful not to slip but the further we went the more we felt like
being in a winter wonderland and soon we found ourselves on a fresh
white snow, surrounded by peaceful beauty of the mountains.

Further on the lookout became visible sitting on the top of the peak
but at that point we started to doubt that we'll be able to actually
get up to it. We were in about a foot of snow now.



We could not get so far in without trying though so once we got below
the peak, we went to check out the route up. It didn't look bad but
with snow covering spaces between the rocks, making it very easy to
step on unsupported spot and fall through, we decided it was not safe
enough to proceed.



Instead we found nice sunny spot with a view of the lake where we
enjoyed lunch, delicious brownies (thank you Beth), and some hot tea.

Boston Basin 9/13/2008

After several weeks of hiking in fog and rain, the weather finally decided to give us a break. Seeing the clear sky right after I left home made my way to the meeting spot filled with immeasurable excitement, especially since I knew we’re heading to one of the most picturesque area here in Pacific NW.



Boston Basin is known mostly to climbers who have several very cool
looking peaks available there. I've heard it was a wonderful place to
hike to, even if not climbing anywhere further on, so I had it on my
list for a while. With clear blue sky, plenty of sunshine, and great
visibility, the day could not be more perfect.





The trail was very easy to follow, however there were few narrow
parts where vegetation (and especially stinking nettles) got little
too close, there were few parts where we had to scramble a bit, there
were quite a few trees across the trail we had to climb over, and
last but not least there were 4 un-bridged creek crossings which at
this time of the year did not pose any problem but earlier with water
level higher might be little tricky. I bet many regular hikers would
consider the trail too treacherous and would probably turn way before
reaching the basin, but for those little more adventurous; the
approach itself brings lots of fun to what without all the obstacles
would be just a walk through a forest.



Once at the bottom of the basin, whole new world opened in front of
us, inviting us to wander further. There were many possibilities to
explore. Most of us decided that the glacier at the very far end of
the basin was way too cool to miss so we rock hopped all the way to
it and spend a long time chilling out, enjoying the awesome
breathtaking scenery. It was quite difficult to get up and head back
leaving all this beauty behind.