Cascades Crown Jewel: Skiing Glacier Peak/Dakobed

At 10,545’, Glacier Peak/Dakobed is the fifth tallest peak in Washington. It’s also the most remote of the state’s five major volcanos. While all of the other volcanos can be seen from major highways and cities, Glacier Peak is the recluse of the group, cradled deep within the Central Cascades. Summiting the volcano requires a 34 mile round-trip hike with 10,000+’ of gain and is usually done in two to three days. This is a volcano Alex and I have been wanting to ski since we first started ski mountaineering a couple years ago, but its remoteness and reputation as a rugged peak kept us away until this year.

Skiing Ruth Mountain 2.0

This past weekend I finally got to properly ski a mountain that I have been dreaming of skiing for over two years. Ruth Mountain. If you’ve been around here for awhile you’ll know that technically I already have skied Ruth Mountain in May 2021, but unfortunately, it was in a whiteout so it was more survival skiing than anything. Since that trip I have been dreaming of returning in better conditions, but I’ve also been a little apprehensive since our first trip to the mountain really pushed Alex and I out of our comfort zones and pushed our limits physically.

Backcountry Ski Trips, Mountaineering, North Cascades, WashingtonSonja SaxeMay 24, 2023

Inspired in the North Cascades: Completing the Inspiration Traverse

Over Labor Day weekend of 2022, Alex and I experienced the highlight of our summer. We went on a guided mountaineering expedition with Pro Guiding and completed the Inspiration Traverse in the North Cascades. The route connects the Eldorado Trailhead on Cascade River Road with the Thunder Creek Trailhead off Highway 20. It traverses six glaciers, presents opportunities to summit multiple peaks along the way, and offers an intimate look at some of the most rugged and beautiful terrain in Washington.

Mountaineering, North Cascades, WashingtonSonja SaxeMarch 20, 2023

Juneuary in Washington: Skiing Loowit

This January offered a string of sunny, warm weekends with relatively low avalanche risk, resulting in many to dub the month Juneuary and head off on adventures usually relegated to the stabler spring months. Alex and I couldn’t let an opportunity to climb and ski a volcano in the depths of winter pass us by so we, too, headed for the mountains. We make it a goal to ski Loowit (Mount St. Helens) once per year and chose this for our Juneuary destination.

Backcountry Ski Trips, Mount St. Helens, Mountaineering, Washington, Winter TripsSonja SaxeFebruary 10, 2022 Comment

Photo Diary: Ruth Mountain Summit Camp

In May, Alex and I attempted to climb Ruth Mountain with the goal to camp on the summit and ski off the following morning. However, if you’ve read my previous blog post you will know that due to snowy navigation difficulties, we did not make it to the summit to camp. We were eventually successful in summiting the following morning, however, we were stuck in a total whiteout. The inclement weather made for a disappointing summit experience and I returned home with a feeling of unfinished business.

North Cascades, Washington, Backpacking Trips, MountaineeringSonja SaxeJuly 26, 2021Comment

Journey to Olympus

Deep within Olympic National Park, surrounded by the verdant Hoh Rainforest and a winding network of rivers, lies the park’s crown jewel: Mount Olympus. At 7,980’, this peak is the tallest on the Olympic Peninsula and offers a birdseye view of the park. However, getting to the summit is no walk in the park, the trek requires 19 miles of hiking before visitors even glance a view of their lofty objective.

Olympic, Washington, Backpacking Trips, MountaineeringSonja SaxeJuly 17, 2021 Comments

Skiing Ruth Mountain

I first saw Ruth Mountain in the summer of 2019 while Alex and I were hiking the Copper Ridge Loop. We were on the early stretches of the trail, making our way toward Hannegan Pass when a beautiful mountain face, its upper slopes still draped in snow in late summer, came into view. In my planning process for that hike I had been so fixated on the camp spots and other high points that I had entirely overlooked Ruth Mountain, but it was impossible to overlook on the trail, it dominated our views. As we got closer I said to Alex, “I’m pretty sure you can ski off that. We should do that!” 1.5 years later and we did just that!

Backcountry Ski Trips, North Cascades, Winter Trips, Washington, MountaineeringSonja SaxeJune 2, 2021Comment

Spring Summit of Mt. Hood

I pressed the start button on my Garmin watch and checked the time. 1:04AM. Above us, billions of twinkling stars painted the sky. I was thankful for the calm and clear conditions that would accompany us on the climb ahead. We couldn’t see the finer details of our objective for the morning, but we knew its presence was there. Its hulking mass of rock and ice covered slopes blotted out a huge portion of stars on the northern horizon. It acted like a black hole, obscuring any light and drawing us in like a magnet.

Oregon, Mt. Hood, Winter Trips, MountaineeringSonja SaxeMay 14, 2021 Comments