[kiliki]

Also keep in mind that if weather is poor on the west side, it may be better on the east side, so you might have some Plan B's or at least a hiking book that can point you to eastern side hikes. It will likely be warmer and drier at Klipchuck than at Colonial (which is a bit of a windy spot). If you are heading over WA Pass regardless definitely continue to Mazama and the store to get the full scenic effect and also for lunch and really good baked goods.

[Eric Hansen]

NEMatt, Nooksack is cold (glacial) and swift.

[NEMatt]

I wanted to follow up on this thread with a bit of a trip report from the past two weeks. CASCADES: - My internet sleuthing prior to booking our Marble Creek campsite a few months ago paid off. We had a double tent site all to ourselves. Hung our hammocks up right next to the river, cooled our beer in the water, took night time star photos on the beach. Really excellent. Probably top three sites alongside Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone a few years ago and perhaps Arches NP. - For the first hike we traded Hidden Lake for Sauk Mountain. I looked at the road conditions and decided I didn’t want to be detailing brush scratches out of the side of the truck before we returned it to Enterprise. Sauk was a good first hike. We passed one other party the entire way up and back and had perfect weather. - The next day we did Cascade Pass to Sahale Arm. What a fantastic hike! Yet again we were hiking mostly by ourselves as the parking lot was comprised of overnighters on their way down. We saw a plethora of marmots, one of which wouldn’t get out of our way and we could have nearly picked it up and moved it we got so close. Saw a bear and a good distance and some more fauna. Total bluebird day out. - After three nights we moved to Colonial Creek campground. It was just OK. Close tent sites and you could hear all the trucks/RVs making that turn then going back uphill hard on the throttle until late in the evening. - We did the Blue Lake hike which was decent but compared to the others nothing special. Then stopped at the overlooks on the pass and went down into Mazama to the general store. - Our Douglas Fir campsite up near Mt Baker was also excellent. Right on the stream and our tent area was isolated down away from everything. - We did the Skyline Divide trail which was great. Again good weather and no crowds. Very Lord of the Rings feel to the trail, looking back and seeing the path disappear over the miles on the ridge behind you. - Second night at Douglas it tstormed and POURED. Our rain fly comes within an inch or two of the ground the whole way around and yet we had mud under it on the tent. The mind boggles. - The next day there was a bicycle race up to Artist Point which had the road closed until noon so we decided to forego Ptarmigan Ridge and do Heliotrope instead. That day was mist and a little rain but I think it made that hike more interesting. We got all the way to the final creek crossing and didn’t like how much water volume it was moving. After looking up and downstream for a better crossing spot we decided we didn’t want to be wet the rest of the day so we bailed and hiked up the “climber’s route” option. Mist and fog cleared for about 10 minutes while we were at the top by ourselves. - That was roughly when our weather luck fully ran out… OLYMPIC - After the third night at Douglas we broke camp and rained the whole day driving from the Cascades to the Olympic Peninsula. We went back into Bellingham on the way. Really nice little town. Hit some breweries, eateries, and ice cream shop. - Took the Coupesville ferry and walked around Port Townsend and finally made it to Port Angeles and set up shop at Heart of the Hills campground. First come first served but hardly anyone was there so we got a good location. - It continued raining the next day so we decided to hop over to Victoria, BC because it looked sunnier over there. Great idea! What an awesome port town. We saw the sights all afternoon, watched the Turbo Otter flight-seeing planes take off and land in the harbor, and took the last sailing home… where it was still raining. - Following day it cleared a bit in the AM so we did the Klahhane ridge hike. It was a bit more populated than any of our others and was still misty which obscured most of the view. Not bad though. - The next morning we broke camp and did some of the short hikes along the 101 corridor. By the time we made it to our next FCFS campground it was pouring. We did a drive by of the campsite options... Puddle, lake, lake, mud, lake, lake. My wife and I looked at each other and decided we were not THAT committed to the endeavor to set our stuff up in mud, in a downpour, so we hopped on Google and found a motel. - The following day (still raining) we hiked the Ho River trail, saw Rialto Beach and 2nd Beach. Yet again, campground was a flood zone so we found the last room in some motel in Sekiu and chatted with the salmon fishermen at the food joint that night. - We got up early to see Shi Shi Beach at low tide (still raining) and afterward headed back toward Seattle and found stuff to do along the way. It stopped raining by the time we made it to the Bainbridge Island ferry so we hung out there for a few hours and caught a late boat into downtown. - Next day we saw Seattle sights, dried our tent out in the hotel, and flew out 6am the following day. In all it was a good trip. The Cascades are beautiful and we were very lucky with that weather and the lack of company on the trails. I would absolutely go back and spend more time finding other hikes. I wish the OP was drier, and I felt like a bit of a wimp bailing on camping the last couple days, but I was happy to not pack up a muddy soaking wet tent. Going back to explore more of Victoria and Vancouver Island in general is on our list. Thanks for the suggestions!

[olderthanIusedtobe]

Cool! You got a nice sampler, and ample reason to come back again for another visit. The rain isn't ideal, but this area wouldn't be the same without it, and you got to experience the mountains in various different moods. Glad you enjoyed your trip. Even caught some solitude, that's a bonus. No need to feel bad about bailing on camping in the rain toward the end. I've done that. It's not all that fun being wet constantly.