Maple Pass

During the best two weeks of weather in September my wife and I were in China, while we had a wonderful time I pined for the perfect fall weather we were missing. During the last day prior to our return everyone told us that the weather was turning and the rain was coming. We both thought we'd come back to gray clouds and rain for the rest of the year. However I was so excited to see the forecast call for another week of great weather and when I saw the three good days in a row I wanted to take advantage of summers last gasp.

On Monday with the temperature hitting the high 70's during lunch I and a couple of other guys from work ran from the International District in Seattle down to Lake Washington and took a final swim for the year. Tuesday a big planning meeting got moved and with a clear schedule I jumped at the chance to take a day off and go hiking.

Now for a destination and a hiking partner. I had at the back of my mind to try to knock off Daniel in a single day. I emailed Yukon/Steve but he was all "tired" from his long weekend climbing Stuart with the Schmidt's and had a cold to boot. I put out a call to Dawn Patrol but no one answered. I was determined to go regardless, and I sent one more email to Greg Johnston, outdoor writer for the Seattle PI. He wrote back that he wasn't up for Daniel but he was heading out for Maple Pass Tuesday morning at 5 am. Hmmm, I debated back and forth. Daniels would be a long long day and I'd be solo, vs. a hike in the North Cascades which I rarely visit because its so much further than my I-90 stomping grounds. I decided to join Greg so I wandered off through the house putting together clothes, food and water in my pack.

Tuesday morning I woke at 4 am and jumped in the shower real quick, then threw my pack and camera in the car and drove up 405 to the park and ride where it meets I-5. I grabbed a couple of Breakfast Jacks at Barf in the Box and met Greg in the parking lot. He'd brought along his wife, a friend Richard and the PI photographer Paul Brown. They were all crammed in Greg's truck, so Paul opted to ride with me. Paul's your classic artist, intellectual and opinionated. I enjoyed talking to him on a wide range of topics from the demise of the American economic system to the state of politics. I had read about the Maple Pass trail in the guidebook, and even picked out the two green trails maps that covered the hike, but I hadn't really placed the trail head location on the map. I didn't have to as I was following Greg. And while the time passed quickly chatting with Paul I was amazed as the minutes turned to hours and before long we were 3 hours into drive before we arrived at Rainy Pass, almost all the way to Mazama.

After parking in the pull outs, we donned boots and packs and headed up the trail towards Lake Ann at 8 am. The beginning of the hike is through forest with a nice gentle steady grade. Within 20 minutes though you break out of the trees and the views begin. The magnificent cirque and ridge line that shelters Lake Ann rises up before you. And at the time of fall the steep slopes were covered in red huckleberry, yellow grass and the green of Mountain Ash with its bright red berries. The colors were vibrant in their hues as is someone had sprinkled crushed fruit loops all over the ground. This fall color was interspersed with the green pointy sub-alpine pines.

Another 10 minutes and we came to the turn off for Lake Ann. We decided to take the detour and I'm so glad we did. The morning light was just perfect, the lake's surface as still as glass and the reflection one of perfect symmetry of the green pines, the fall color and the bright white granite talus. We admired the beauty and took a bunch of pictures. The rest of the group backtracked down the mini trail to Lake Ann to regain the main trail that heads up to Heather Pass. I hate backtracking (I also hate taking off my pack until I am done for the day) so I opted for a direct route scrambling up the talus field to the trail above us. Along the trail I talked to a couple of elderly gentleman (late 60's to early 70's) who were hiking the trail. They advised taking another small detour through Heather Pass for views of the valley beyond and Black Peak. They also offered the opinion that the loop was not worth doing as a loop, that the trail down from Maple Pass past Rainy Lake had to real views to speak of and was mostly in the trees, they preferred to hike up and back down the same route. But they noted you have to do it at least once to say you've done it.

I walked up the trail to Heather Pass where I waited for the rest of the crew. There was a silence of the mountains that hung in the void of air found only in the high country. The warm autumn sun shined on the red huckleberry bushes as I sat next to the trail. I stared down the slope at Lake Ann glistening in the reflecting sun. A slight breeze blew across the faded alpine flowers scattering their floating seeds across the landscape, they almost appeared a swarm of live insects before the wind blew them to a thousand locations. Before too long up trail came Paul with the others close behind. We wandered out across the rust colored Heather Pass to the other side.

Views opened up of the valley that lead up to Black Peak, which stood striking above Lewis Lake. A stand of larches stood at the edge of the pass and slopes above, they were just starting to turn to their golden yellow. After a brief pause we made our way back across the meadow that acts as a pass to the trail where we continued climbing up the ridge line. From Heather Pass and the trail begins making the curve around the backside of the cirque above Lake Ann. You enter the high alpine zone above the tree line. Near the top you get views of Cortero Peak and the peaks of distant glacier covered mountains. We stopped for lunch on the granite boulders with the expanse of open sky all around us. I only at a mojo cliff bar as I was holding out for a burger in Marblemount. After the others finished, we made the final few switch backs before arriving at Maple Pass on the top of the ridge at the back end of the Lake Ann Cirque. A single stick in a large cairn marked the pass, you could peer down on Rainy Lake and back across at Heather Pass and the trail we'd climbed above Lake Ann.

I busted out my cheap ($7) light as a feather tri-pod I got in China and set up for a group photo at the top of Maple Pass. I enjoy putting forth the effort to take group photos as they are visual markers to look back on in the future and remember everyone and the good times. We enjoyed the views for a few moments and then headed down the long ridge leading to Rainy Lake. Paul hung out at the top of the ridge to get some pics for the paper as we made our way along the pass. After ensuring he got his shots, I shouted up a goodbye to Paul, said my thanks and cheers to Greg, Lorna and Richard and sinched up my pack and ran down the trail. The descent is described as steep, but it was nothing compared to Mailbox Peak or the spur up to Guye Peak. It took me around 25 minutes to get back to the trail head and after arriving at the car I have to agree with the old geezers I saw on the mountain, worth doing once, but the scenery is all on the other side.

I then hopped in my car for the three hour drive home (I did stop in Marblemount for that hamburger though). It was 6 hours of driving for 4.5 hours of hiking, but wow what a hike. I can't think of a shorter hike with greater rewards in terms of views and scenery, especially such a beautiful fall day.

MultiMedia

Maple Pass from mbgriffi on Vimeo.
Photos

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