So uh, Washington is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been? What the heck? What do they think they’re doing to me?
This trip happened like most do: I have three days to kill I look up flights and just picked one out that fit my budget and seemed ~ cool ~. I’m starting to get into the territory of repeating places, which I used to say I’d never do (lol) but I know what I like and clearly you can’t really experience a place fully in 3 days so back I went to Seattle.
I also did a smol lil trip to Seattle earlier this year but if you recall there was a snowstorm and everything was closed and it was only one day, so a reasonably priced flight seemed like a good chance to a) see Seattle again and b) go somewhere I’ve always wanted, NORTH CASCADES.
My original plan for this trip was to camp three nights at a campground, do two day hikes, and mozy around the scenic viewpoints the rest of the time. The nice thing about doing your own thing, though, is that if you decide you don’t want to sit in the rain for a third night, you don’t have to! So I went back to the city a little early.
The minute I got back to camp after hiking on the second day, it started to thunderstorm, like BAD, I saw bolts of lighting, it was very loud, it was raining so hard it kind of hurt. I was SURE my fire was going to go out, but I threw every piece of wood I had left on it and it didn’t! So I backed up the jeep to the fire, took cover in the trunk, and ran back and forth in the rain to shift the foil packets of veggies I was desperately trying to cook. Not to brag but I am extremely impressed with myself, like expert camper over here please take me with you if you need assistance.
* I * personally love thunderstorms so I was in my goddamn element, I could not have been more relaxed that night.
triscuits and juice, a normal spread for camping right?
Now here’s the good part: Maple Pass
I definitely said “holy shit” out loud to myself somewhere between five and eight hundred times over the course of the ~4 hours it took me to hike this. It’s just absolutely gorgeous during every single step. Obviously, this is a pretty popular hike so I’ll tell you the thing that everybody tells you, which is go early. I started hiking a little before 8 on a weekend and barely saw anybody for the first half, but by the time I was nearing the end it was getting super crowded. A sunrise hike up here though? Probably unreal.
I think most people actually hike this counter-clockwise, but I went clockwise. There’s no wrong way to do this by any means, but all those pictures above were from within the first like 1/4 of the hike. HOW!? The colors! It looks fake! Help!
^hiked that =)
DO YOU GET THE PICTURE NOW? I’m also required by law to post pictures from all the touristy pull-over overlooks and stuff, so naturally here is another photo of Diablo Lake, a place I’m sure you’ve seen a hundred pictures of already before. But! It’s really! That! Blue!
I’ll link all the places I stayed/hiked at the end. For now, I leave you with two pictures of a random dirt road I drove down in the rain <3
HERE ARE THINGS I DID:
Maple Pass Loop: 7.1 miles, doable for most hikers / kids / dogs. It took me about 4 hours and I stopped A LOT.
Marble Creek Campground: I loved staying here. Right along a very pretty river (book early and you can snag a river spot!) and there’s a little beach anyone in the campsite can hang out on. Honestly - great campground for hanging out at even if you’re not doing any hiking. Not too many spots, and a good amount of privacy. About an hour to Maple Pass, but only about 30 min or so to Marblemount. Also only a few miles from a gas station / diner / restaurant where there are camp supplies and food and CELL SERVICE.