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NEMatt
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PostSun Aug 25, 2019 4:53 pm 
Howdy all. Flying out for a two week camping trip with the wife next Monday (not tomorrow) and was revisiting my itinerary that I made a month or two ago. Figured I would post here to see if there are any must-see hikes that I am clearly omitting. Rough chronology of trip as follows: RT20 Area: 3 nights at Marble Creek, 1 night at Colonial Creek - Cascade Pass/Sahale Arm - Hidden Lake (we are renting a small pickup from SEA-TAC so the access road should be ok?? Sauk Mtn is a backup) - Maple Pass Mt Baker Area: 3 nights at Douglas Fir - Skyline Divide - Chain Lakes/Ptarmigan Ridge Olympic Peninsula (havent picked which campgrounds as it is after reservation period by the time we get there on the 9th): 2 nights near Port Angeles, 2 nights west of there, 3 nights at Kalaloch - Hurricane Hill/Klahhane Ridge - Ho River Trail - Shi Shi Beach - Hole in the Wall - Some of the numbered beaches - Maybe pop over to Victoria, BC one day if we are burned out after the Cascades Open to any suggestions or must see roadside attractions. We will be going from the Cascades to OP via the ferry near Port Townsend and doing the OP counterclockwise if it matters. Thanks!

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostSun Aug 25, 2019 6:49 pm 
Those are all nice hikes and will give you a good sampler of Washington. Enjoy.

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monorail
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PostMon Aug 26, 2019 7:26 pm 
I strongly suggest adding Heliotrope Ridge (Mt. Baker) to your itinerary: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/heliotrope-ridge. This will bring you right up to the edge of an extremely impressive glacier. It's a wild scene of jagged, jumbled glacial ice-- a close-up view of an utterly unique landscape (or "ice-scape"). You may be able to hear an eerie creaking sound as the glacier shifts. Personally I would recommend this over Chain Lakes or Skyline Divide (both of which are excellent hikes). There are some stream crossings which should be taken seriously, as described in the link.

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Eric Hansen
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PostMon Aug 26, 2019 7:53 pm 
Douglas fir CG is 2 thumbs up. Ask at the RS whether salmon are in. Check under the Thompson Cr. bridge (a mile up the Glacier Cr. Rd.) Wake n Bakery for breakfast burritos. Only showers in the valley at Silver Lake Park (just north of Maple Falls). Last gas at Maple Falls. Phone service tends to end at Deming unless you are in line with the ski area.

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Chief Joseph
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PostMon Aug 26, 2019 8:02 pm 
"Cascade Pass/Sahale Arm "....watch out for the goats above Cascade pass, there were a lot of them when we went, but luckily, no issues.. You also might want to check out the beginning of the Ptarmagin Traverse that heads south and east from Cascade pass.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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NEMatt
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PostMon Aug 26, 2019 8:42 pm 
Eric Hansen wrote:
Wake n Bakery for breakfast burritos. Only showers in the valley at Silver Lake Park (just north of Maple Falls). Last gas at Maple Falls. Phone service tends to end at Deming unless you are in line with the ski area.
Any ideas on showers near Marblemount area? If not, I was pretty particular in my camp site selection so all of our spots are adjacent to a creek/river smile.gif

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Eric Hansen
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PostMon Aug 26, 2019 9:30 pm 
NEMatt, I'm not knowledgable about Marblemount area. re campsite near river. Nooksack at Douglas Fir (and take the path upstream) is fabulous, an epic storyline. But I'd be darn careful rinsing off there. I'd put a full black dromedary on your dashboard while you're hiking, find a quiet spot in the woods for a quick shower.

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NEMatt
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PostTue Aug 27, 2019 6:58 am 
Eric Hansen wrote:
Nooksack at Douglas Fir (and take the path upstream) is fabulous, an epic storyline. But I'd be darn careful rinsing off there.
Fauna concerns in the river?

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forest gnome
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PostTue Aug 27, 2019 7:44 am 
several of those areas are worth 5+ days...sounds like a lot of fast-dayhiking?...

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NEMatt
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PostTue Aug 27, 2019 7:48 am 
Yeah, we are planning one hike per day in each of those areas. It would be nice to stick around longer but since we are planning to do the OP as well this trip, we cannot.

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Bootpathguy
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PostTue Aug 27, 2019 8:20 am 
I'd skip out on a couple of the beaches. In my opinion, you've seen one, you've seen'em all. They all very similar in landscape. I'd add another day or two in the North Cascades Some suggestions Lewis Lake & beyond to Wing Lake You could actually do Cutthroat Pass & Blue Lake in one day Trappers Peak

Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want
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kiliki
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PostTue Aug 27, 2019 8:21 am 
That is a great itinerary and very well-thought-out. So I kind of hate to make a suggestion, but I'm going to. Instead of Colonel Creek, camp that night at Klipchuck, on the east side of the mountains. A couple reasons. All of your hikes are on the lusher west side of the Cascades, and in the Olympics. The east side of the Cascades is different in terms of scenery and vegetation and well worth seeing at least once. Also, you really need to drive all the way over the N. Cascades Hwy to the other side. Arguably the prettiest part is around Washington Pass. Klipchuck is perfectly handy to Maple pass, And it's on the west end of what is a very beautiful valley – – the Methow Valley. The next morning pop into the Mazama store for breakfast, pastries, snacks, etc. It's a great place. The only danger is that you might wish you were spending more of your time in the Methow. There are number of private campgrounds in the valley and I'm sure you could buy a shower at one of them. They also have coin-operated showers at Rasar State Park near Concrete.

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kiliki
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PostTue Aug 27, 2019 8:24 am 
In terms of stops between the Cascades and Port Townsend: just west of I5 on Highway 20 you'll find Skagit's Own Fish market. They do lunch. Stop and get a Dungeness crab sandwich. The Cascadian farm stand in Rockport is a good stop for ice cream, fruit and snacks.

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NEMatt
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PostTue Aug 27, 2019 8:43 am 
Bootpathguy wrote:
I'd skip out on a couple of the beaches. In my opinion, you've seen one, you've seen'em all.
We may well do that because I'm leaning toward a day in Victoria. Break up the hiking monotony a little.

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NEMatt
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PostTue Aug 27, 2019 8:44 am 
kiliki wrote:
That is a great itinerary and very well-thought-out. So I kind of hate to make a suggestion, but I'm going to.
Thanks for the intel. If we decide to do that second campground we would only be out 16 dollars from Colonial anyway so we can make a game time decision. If nothing else we are planning to drive through the pass there.

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