It’s been a while since I've been in the hills, so a short trip up-slope seemed like it was in order. My buddy Aaren flew in to Seattle on a beautiful Pacific Northwest morning; I picked him up, we had a leisurely lunch, and then we piled in the car for the three hour drive to a trail that I’ve been wanting to visit for ages. Our destination: Spider Meadows.
The trip did not disappoint. We hit the trail at 5pm on Saturday and returned to the car at 10am Monday, logging 30+ miles in the high backcountry of Washington’s Cascade Range. I’d spent lots of time traversing the Olympic Mountains, and I’d climbed a few volcanoes around here – but I had never gotten deep into the heart of the Cascades.
What a treat. The area was all it was cracked up to be, and more. It was bigger, wilder, and more jaw-droppingly beautiful than I had imagined. Below are some pictures from our overland journey into some of the state’s most pristine country.
*I hereby reserve the right to continue doing miserable 10-day trips if I so choose
John and Aaren at the trailhead parking lot - with about 10,000 cars
The famed Spider Meadows
Even though there were a bajillion people in the lower meadow, we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves
The giant red mountain above our camp - aptly called Red Mountain
Going up through Spider Gap on Spider Glacier
The pink algae that forms in the late summer snows
View north from the pass - stunning!
Hoary Marmot!!
Aaren in the ice bunker
The prettiest picture I took
Some far away mountainy place
Johnny Meyer in the backcountry
That's a 30ft glacial ice wall coming into the lake
Aaren on the red red rocks
Back up over the Pass we go...
Aaren on top of the world!
A perfect example of a glacially-carved valley
A nearly full moon rising over the valley
