Happy 50th Birthday, North Cascades National Park

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Andy Porter

Fifty years ago, on October 2, 1967, the North Cascades National Park was created.

Happy Birthday!

Diablo Overlook Panorama

From the first time I laid eyes on a map of the North Cascades I was captivated. The names of the peaks drew me in; Mt. Terror, Desolation Peak, Mount Fury. And then I saw a few pictures. The North Cascades looked like I thought mountains should look: deep dark forests, lush with life; sharp serrated peaks, ridge, after ridge, stretching to the horizon, donned with glaciers, spouting myriad waterfalls glistening in the sun….

My first visit was a mostly cloudy one. I hiked over Park Creek Pass from Stehekin. There were a few glimmers through the clouds of the majesty beyond.

It would be many years before I returned and tried again.

And I was able to confirm that indeed the North Cascades were everything I had dreamed of.

Lush forests and waterfalls

: Mount Logan, North Cascades National Park

Sharp serrated peaks

: Sahale Camp

Meadows and wildflowers…

: Mount Shuksan from Skyline Divide

and endless vistas

: Sunset on Copper Ridge

The North Cascades have not lost the feeling of wildness. For that I am grateful!

Happy Birthday, and Thank you, North Cascades National Park!

North Cascades National Park

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Andy Porter

Mount Logan, North Cascades National Park

In the last entry we explored the Northern Unit of the North Cascades National Park.

The Southern Unit of the North Cascades National Park is much more accessible than its northern sister. Lake Chelan created a natural route deep into the eastern flank of the North Cascades, a relatively short trek over Cascade Pass crosses into the western zone. This route was used by Native Americans, the village of Stehekin at the north end of Lake Chelan translates to “the way through”.

Once Cascade Pass was considered a possible route for what is now the North Cascades Highway but thankfully now is only reached on foot via a 3.7mile hike.

This is probably the most popular hike in the summer, a day hike to Cascade Pass and maybe up and onto Sahale Arm. Late July the wildflowers explode and it’s really a Sound of Music experience…

North Cascades National Park info on trails and permits.

Sahale Glacier Camp is my favorite camp site on Washington. I have stayed the night maybe 15 times.

: Sahale Camp

: North Cascades Fall

: Sahale Camp

: Sahale Camp

: Sahale Camp

: Sahale Camp

: Sahale Arm

: Doubtful Lake

: Sahale Arm

: Sahale Camp

: Sahale Camp

: Sahale Camp Panorama

: Lupine and the North Cascades

: Sahale Camp Visitor

: Sahale Camp

: Sahale Arm

: Doubtful Lake

: Cascade Pass

: Sunset at Sahale Camp

: Sunrise at Sahale Camp

The North Cascades National Park turns 50 this year! In October, 1968 the park was officially established. Lauren Danner has recently written a wonderful book “Crown Jewel Wilderness: Creating North Cascades National Park” that chronicles the efforts of many to protect the North Cascades.

From Cascade Pass the trail continues east, dropping through Pelton Basin, and then down the Doubtful Creek drainage. The trail bisects the creek in a wonderful spot on the way down…

Before you reach Basin Creek there is a spur trail heading around the shoulder of Sahale Peak and up to Horseshoe Basin. This is NOT a trail to pass up. It’s a short way up into the basin, a wide semicircle of granite teeth sit in a bed of ice, glistening. Impossibly green swards of meadow slash below and bright blue gleams above… you get the idea.

The upper basin is the home of the Black Warrior Mine. A going concern as recently as the 1950’s, the opening to the mine is carved into the headwall of the valley, several rooms are accessible, littered with the detritus of past inhabitants. A road once led from the mine entrance to Cottonwood Camp, and Stehekin, but little by little nature has won back. As recently as 2003 there was a tour bus that ran a daily route from Stehekin to Cottonwood Camp, barely 11 miles from Cascade Pass!

: Cascade Pass

: Horseshoe Basin

: Basin Creek Bridge

: Horseshoe Basin

: Upper Horseshoe Basin

: Horseshoe Basin

: Cascade Pass

: Doubtful Creek

: Horseshoe Basin

: Black Warrior Mine

: Black Warrior Mine

: Black Warrior Mine

: Black Warrior Mine

: Basin Creek

: Basin Creek

The American Alps Legacy Project is a coalition working to protect more than 237,000 acres of pristine wild country, from Baker Lake to Washington Pass. Their proposal is to expand the North Cascades National Park. You can learn more here.

In the next post we’ll visit Stehekin, Park Creek Pass and the North Fork of Bridge Creek.

Fine Art and Canvas Prints of these and more images here.

Information about North Cascades Photo Tours here.

Buckner Mountain from Park Creek Trail

These are just a few of the many spectacular hikes in the park. Your opportunities for adventure are endless.

I am planning trips to both Whatcom Pass and Park Creek Pass this summer, to celebrate the 50^th Birthday of the Park.

Hope to see you out on the trail.

Sahale Camp, North Cascades National Park

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Andy Porter

Sahale Camp, North Cascades National Park

These three images are from my favorite camp site in Washington, Sahale Glacier Camp, North Cascades National Park. The camp sits at the toe of Sahale Glacier, atop three mounds of glacial rubble. Mountain goats frequent the camp, posing before the vista.

: Sahale Camp

: Sahale Camp

Sahale Camp Mountain Goat

Posted on August 20, 2016 by Andy Porter

Just back from a trip to the North Cascades National Park, 2 nights, 3 days, visited my favorite camp, Sahale Glacier Camp.

This morning I awoke at 5am, got some sunrise shots and then the camp got a visitor.

This goat was pawing the ground and I was nearby, snapping away, then he got a bit interested in me and the camera!

I was shooting with a 24-105mm lens, set to 30mm (on a full frame camera) so my furry friend was a bit closer than he looks on the pictures!

Sahale Camp Photomerge

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Andy Porter

Photomegre is one of the multitude of Photoshop Tools. It is a system of merging 2 or more images into a panorama.
Here are two original jpeg images from Sahale Glacier Camp. I took these with the thought in mind to later merge them. using a tripod I captured one image and carefully swung the camera on the tripod and lined up the second one. It wasn’t any fancy movement, I made note in my mind of where the frame’s edge was and pointed the camera in the approximate place to take up where the first image left off, planning for some overlap. I was using a 24 mm lens. I set my image quality when capturing the images so that I would have both a RAW file and a jpeg of the shots.

Once back home I opened both of the raw files together in Photoshop CS6 and synchronized them so that what ever changes I made to one were duplicated on the other. I worked to lighten the foreground and darken the sky. Using the sliders for highlights, shadows, exposure, clarity, whites and contrast I played around until I liked the result.

I also used the brush tool on the foreground to bring out more details on the rocks.

I saved the images as jpeg files. Here they are.

Once this was done and images saved I went to Photomerge, selected the two modified images and let Photoshop work its magic.

Opening the panorama as a jpeg image I filled in the corners using the clone stamp tool and tweaked the levels settings a bit, and Viola! Here is the final image.

I have printed the image as a 40″ x 15″ canvas print and it is very stunning.

“Wilderness 50” Celebration

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Andy Porter

2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Wilderness Act. In September of 1964 President Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act, one of the most important pieces of legislation in the US regarding protection and preservation of Wilderness.

Wilderness 50 “The 50th Anniversary National Wilderness Planning Team (Wilderness50) is a growing coalition of federal agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and other wilderness user groups whose purpose is to plan and eventually implement local, regional, and national events and projects, specifically designed to elevate the profile of wilderness during the 50th anniversary celebration.”

One of their programs was to hold a photo contest and use the winning images as a part of their plans to inform people about the significance of the Wilderness Act.

More than 50 images were chosen and these will be displayed as large format prints in the Smithsonian Museum, in Washington DC starting in September!

I submitted several images to the competition and this image, here was chosen as an Honorable Mention in the People in Wilderness Category and will be used on signage for the various events and displayed in the museum.
Sahale Glacier Camp in the Steven Mather Wilderness in North Cascades National Park, in Washington.

As a part of the process I was asked to submit a personal story about the image. Here it is:

“My connection with wilderness began when I was 16. I spent a month in the Sawtooth Wilderness in Idaho, learning how to backpack, climb and survive. The trip changed my life and encouraged me to continue. Treks along the Pacific Crest Trail and the Andes followed.

Then my life changed again and I was off on a different purpose. For almost 20 years I followed the light only to wind up in the darkness. And then I felt the wilderness call to me again, beckoning me back into her arms.

I had packed my old life in boxes and uncovering them produced an old hiking guide. I scoured it and found the most exciting sounding trip in there, recruited a few friends to accompany me and off we started.

I had forgotten what mileage and elevation gain portended and as we began our trip up to Sahale Camp. It slowly came back to me, what sweat and struggle were all about.

We finally made it to the camp well after dark and collapsed in our tent.

This image was captured the next morning. My life was changed anew; I had found a new purpose. Wilderness had rescued me again.”

I am excited and proud that any image of mine would be used to promote and protect wilderness!

Sahale Camp Panoramas

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Andy Porter

Sahale Glacier Camp sits at the base of Sahale glacier atop 3 piles of rubble each crowned with a ring of stone. The views are breathtaking: a 180 degree sweeping view of the North Cascades, a sea of peaks stretching out to the horizon.

I have visited many times and tried to capture the feel of the view. Here are several panoramas, some from sunrise, and several from sunset, each comprised of two or more images merged.

Sahale Glacier Camp Panoramas

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Andy Porter

These two shots are from Sahale Glacier Camp in North Cascades National Park. Each image below is composed of 2 shots photomerged in CS 6. I opened the two images to be connected in Camera Raw and synchronized my changes, lightening and darkening the sky and foreground with brushes and then used the automated photomerge option. A first for me and I am pleased with the results!