[hermes]

The plan was to do an overnighter on Sourdough Ridge followed by another at Monogram Lake but the permit situation wasn't good at Marblemount due to both North Cascades Highway and (though I didn't know it at the time) Cascade River road being closed. Monogram was booked out until Wednesday night so I took that and two nights on Sourdough. Didn't get to trail head until 2pm and then found I didn't have my backpacking sandals so this became my first backpack in barefoots. The hike up was pleasant as it wasn't terribly warm and the trail was still damp from the recent rains. There is a lot of blowdown on the lower stretches but nothing blocking.

Fire?

Crossing to the bright side

Flowers before Sourdough camp

Camp/Lookout fork

First meadow

Diablo

And was at lookout in short order.

Part of lightening conductor blasted off lookout

Available gift wrapped, qualifies for Amazon Prime

Looking out Sourdough Ridge from Lookout

Looking down to Diablo

Ross from Lookout

Pierce Mountain trail

Sourdough Lake

Sourdough Ridge

Seam of Quartz

Headed out ridge on good boot path but it was very hard to make progress with such stupendous views both near and far

miniature Lupin

Looking back to Lookout from Sourdough Ridge

Jack and Ross from ridge

Good runoff from this snow bank

Big Jack!

Snowfield etc

Lots of old bear poop on ridge

Tarn 1

Tarn 1 again

North West

Evening sun on Lookout

I really should get going

It was getting late and I still had not set up for the night but...

Ok, quit looking around

NOW!

Oh-oh

Last one

Doomed

The clouds settled it and I continued out the ridge as fast as I could - the boot path not so clear in the dwindling light and sometimes just not there at all. I had seen a large tarn from a knoll a bit beyond Tarn 1 and hoped to get there for the night but darkness came first so I just set up near some trees and went to sleep. Woke to distant lightening during the night - valleys were fogged in but sky was completely clear - Perseids in great form - many, many shooting stars. Back to sleep for another few hours and woke to dense fog - not the swirling, atmospheric type but the dense scary type with visibility down to 16 steps (that's how many steps I could take from my shelter before it disappeared). This made it unwise to continue out the ridge and made me regret rushing the night before and not taking care to note my route so I could make my way back. After breakfast, with no sign of the fog clearing, I decided that I would pack up and at least move back to where there was a clear boot path between me and the main trail. The fog was somewhat lighter in the gullies and very dense on the high points.

Flower gully

Well, How did I get here?

I think I remember this

Once I got back to recognizable boot path I reset up my shelter in case the weather worsened and set out to see what a lookout looks like when you can't look out.

Phew - what a relief

Saved!

Wandered down the trail towards Pierce Camp and soon magnificent gardens came into view and I came out below the fog.

Clearing to reveal beautiful gardens towards Pierce

Of course when I looked back up it was clearing above too so I headed back up to the lookout to admire the views there again.

Clearing to reveal beautiful gardens towards Pierce

Running back up to blue sky

Tease

Diablo puff

The Jack layer

Davis Direct!

Looks even better

Almost clear

American Border

Still some scrubbing to do

Ah

Azure Lake Cloud

Davis completely clear

Sourdough Lake is back

Just as the last of the clouds cleared, a day hiker arrived with impeccable timing - from the North Cascades Institute. She was full of info on the area and we had a pleasant chat. She pointed out Azure Lake and I promised to get some photos of it from further out the ridge (see below - hope you get to see this!) Headed off, stopping at my shelter and went out the ridge again under completely clear skies. After the torrential rain on Sunday all the tarns were full!

Tarn 2 - near old home

Missed Tarn 3 on way out ridge

Tarn 4

Tarn 6

I was surprised to come upon a stretch of constructed trail leading from a cairned route up what I think was Sourdough Creek

Constructed Trail!!!!

Azure Lake

Azure zoom

Davis cliff

Tarn 7

Tarn 8 (this one actually seems to be a little lake at the head of Sourdough Creek)

Had to turn back at this point but I didn't mind - the ridge walk was one of the best ever!

Tarn 9 (Azure in background)

Lookout back in view

Tarn 4

Tarn 3 (missed on way out ridge)

Tarn 2

Not scared anymore!

Snowbank from hell

Love this place

Happy Hiker back at Tarn 1

Had a leisurely dinner with the intention of enjoying the sunset from around my shelter but the wind dropped before sunset and the bugs got very bad - didn't want to put more deet on so retired to my shelter and passed out. The next morning started out promising

Just before dawn from Tarn 1

Almost Dawn

Alpenglow

Alpenglow

Morning views

Morning views

but clouds moved in so I packed up and headed down.

Heading down

Tortured rock on Sourdough Ridge

Almost down

and was back at the car in a couple of hours - big mistake - should have taken it much slower and saved my knees for Monogram! Many parties heading up when I was coming down. Headed into Marblemount for breakfast and then out to the Lookout Mountain/Monogram Lake trailhead. It was spitting rain as I started up and my knees were not feeling any better so I turned around, went to the ranger station, cancelled my Monogram permit and headed for home. The skies lightened up a bit as I went through Rockport so I headed up Sauk Mountain - had one light shower on the way up but otherwise dry. Just above the split for Sauk Lake, below the trail a marmot was trying to get something out of a pop can. Shame on whoever threw it down there - I couldn't get to it so it's still there.

Didn't smell as good as it looks

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

Now that's a meadow

Now that's a meadow

Zig-Zag

Rather large tag for a butterfly!

Baker (not Sourdough)

Sauk Lake

Drinking Marmot

Nice little consolation prize to end a great outing! Thanks to all who posted info here - used all of it! Lessons learned: Give fog time to clear - it will. Descend steep trail slowly!

[olderthanIusedtobe]

[puzzlr]

Quite the adventure, and remembering to take pictures in the fog even though it doesn't seem to make sense.