Wing Lake Welcomes Us but Black Peak Turns Us Back

Ahhh...the North Cascades. I can hardly believe over a week has gone by since Michelle and I started our post-summer-work mountain adventure. Eight days in the expansive rugged range has gone by since we left Bellingham for the mountainside towns of Marblemount, Winthrop, and Twisp. I launched into the North Cascade National Park before that still and one thing is certain – only a tip of the iceberg that is the North Cascade mountains has been revealed. The mountains are big, the rivers and roads are long, and the small towns friendly and diverse. It's tough work investigating the intricacies of the one of the wildest region of the U.S. - but here's what we have so far.

Bellingham is always a welcome resupply stop. For the North Cascades adventurer it is perfect port of entry. Prices are always right in Bellingham. There is, without question, something happening the night your in town. And while its not considered 'on the way' it feels as if there is always reason to go there. So, keeping NW Washington tradition, we left B-ham early last week with full food bags, full tummies, and sleepy eyes leftover from the evening revelry.

Next stop: Marblemount – the true portal to the north North Cascades. Here you'll find the best map selection of any Ranger Station on the west coast, essential permits, and last-minute country stores and eateries. But our sights were set high and we lingered only briefly in the lowlands before beginning the climb up Highway 20 towards Washington Pass. We drove past Diablo Lake and countless trailheads, past Mount Colonial and into the mountain hemlock, to the top of the pass and a busy parking area. The trail to Lake Ann, Heather Pass and, our objective, Black Peak, waited.

I would love to go into endless details about our approach to Black Peak. But I must resort to age-old tactics for description: over 2,000 feet of elevation, 5 miles, off-trail boulder fields (Michelle now knows the definition of scree), and, since we started at 2, walking higher into the evening. The reward: wild and deserted camping at alpine and icy Wing Lake. The small tarn at the base of Black Peak's East Face tenuously hangs above the valley and has open views far into the sub-range to the north. This is qualifies (in my book) as one of the most outstanding places to pitch a tent in N. America. What's more is that classic and massive Black Peak looms above – the two most common climbing routes (the N. and S. ridge) outlined in every color of sky as the day progresses to night.

The next morning we were anxious to climb higher onto the peak. We were equipment for rock climbing only (i.e. no ice axes or crampons for snow) so we opted for the S. Ridge which appeared to possibly have a rocky sneak around to reach the rocky and snow-free ridgeline. We climbed for an hour or two, leaving the lake behind, and welcoming the closer views of the East Butresses and South col. We climbed high into a gully along a steep snowfield and stopped short of the crest as the rock quality decreased. Note: poor rock quality is the climber's way of saying ' shit was falling down all around me and everything I touched pretty much just broke off.' After attempting a couple of different lines and backing down for lack of sound anchors we, disheartened, reverse the loose slopes and returned to splendid Wing Lake. The day would have been long yet there is always something to do in the alpine and we occupied our afternoon traigulating and naming the peaks to our north and hiking to various viewpoints. The weather was outstanding, the scenery surreal – we were merely observers of the mountain land all about us.

While we didn't summit Black Peak, two nights at Wing Lake and three days of alpine travel with climbing and backpacking gear wore us out. A rest day was in order. Marblemount and Rockport provided food and showers; Bellingham friends led us to a keg party in the back of a barn full of locals, Park employees and alpine climbers. The weekend was apon us and tourists came out of the woodwork, so we headed back over the pass bound for the east side and the low-use (not quite deserted, but nearly so) Twisp River valley. More about our adventures to Kangaroo Temple to come.