My North Cascades Story Archives

My North Cascades Story - Flying for Fish

Flying for Fish 

By Oly Mingo

It was cold.  Really cold.  As the R44 helicopter chopped briskly through the Cascade morning chill, the pilot glanced at me and laughed.  “You want the heat on?”

As the director of photography for Howell at the Moon Productions in Wenatchee, my work takes me constantly into the landscapes of the North Cascades.

My North Cascades Story - A Lifetime of Adventure

A Lifetime of Adventure  

by Gene Wheeler

I’m a Seattle native born in 1942 and my family spent most vacations during those early years camping and hiking.  I continued camping, hiking and later horse camping throughout my life.  Many of my favorite places are in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

My first trip to Lake Dorothy, located in what is now the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, was in 1950 when it was a nine mile hike up the Miller River. Today the hike is less than two miles with the help of a Forest Service road that ends near the wilderness boundary line. 

The trail approaches the lake at its outlet and then follows the lake about a mile to the meadows at the far end.  It’s a beautiful lake featuring islands, pristine forest and plenty of opportunities for camping.  At one time there was a cabin and just beyond that a lean-to near the meadow end of the lake, complete with a dugout canoe.  My parents used the cabin and canoe on several occasions, but the canoe and cabin were gone by the time I made my first hike there.

My North Cascades Story - The Cadillac Ride

The Cadillac Ride

by Deb Thorlakson, horseback rider

My favorite memories of the North Cascades are from what we like to call "The Cadillac Ride." This adventure was started by myself and three girlfriends several years ago. They are all horseback riders, but we were getting a bit older and were reluctant to take an overnight ride and have to sleep on the ground. So we came up with an alternative plan that laid us in the lap of luxury, hence the name of the ride.

The first day of the ride, we headed out from our home on Cub Creek, north of Winthrop. We followed the Methow Valley Sports Trail Association trails and United States Forest Service roads up through the Rendezvous.

Photo: On the Cadillac Ride, courtesy of Deb Thorlakson

My North Cascades Story - Adventures on Wheels

Adventures on Wheels

By Ruth Nielsen, part-time Mazama resident, outdoor recreation lawyer and dog trainer  

My favorite part of enjoying the North Cascades is to share them with our dogs. Our oldest dog, Winter, has a degenerative disease that has paralyzed his rear end and I was afraid that was the end of our backcountry trips together. However, I found wheels that made it possible for Winter to get around on just two legs with the wheels to support his rear end. I decided to give the wheels a try on a short spring backpacking trip to one of our favorite spots in the North Cascades.

We hiked to Cutthroat Lake where the trail was wide enough and gradual enough for a dog on wheels. No one else was camping overnight since there was still snow on the ground near the lake, but there were other people on the trail.

My North Cascades Story - 14 Days in the North Cascades

A Kaleidoscope of Red, Yellow and Orange

By Eric Zamora, Photographer

When I got there I didn’t want to leave. When I left, I wanted to go back.

It was the perfect time of year. No mosquitoes or black flies. Temps were in the 30s at night, 60s during the day. And, despite being late September, almost everything, even the high peaks stabbing skyward, were nearly snow free. A kaleidoscope of red, yellow and orange radiated forth. Evergreens interrupted the leafy fire.

My North Cascades Story - At Home in the Methow

At Home in the Methow
By Jay Lucas, Executive Director, Methow Valley Sport Trails Association 

“My” North Cascades begins on the dry eastern slopes of the Range, in the community of the Methow Valley.  My life is intimately tied to walking, riding and skiing and managing the trails that begin right out my back door.  The popular MVSTA valley-bottom trails that draw mountain bikers, cross-country skiers and hikers to the Methow, act as connectors to a system of Forest Service and Wilderness trails that ultimately lead to some of the most remote wilderness areas in the lower 48.  To be honest, I rarely make it out to those remote locations these days, but I take solace in knowing they are there - that I could literally walk there like they are an extension of my own home. 

My North Cascades Story - Why I Love the North Cascades

Why I Love the North Cascades 

By Elly McClane, age 13, Vertical World Team Youth Rock Climber

Every year my family spends a week around the holidays cross-country skiing in the Methow Valley. We’ve been doing this since I was 3 years old. My brother even started skiing before he was born! I love skiing all the trails at Sun Mountain and in the summer, we ride our bikes (or horses if I’m lucky) on the same trails.