Leesa & I have been extremely busy with work thus far this year, but we took some time today to re-visit Cascade and Porter Mountains in the High Peaks Wilderness Area. It was a warm day with temperatures in the mid-30's, but of course that doesn't apply to the summit of Cascade. There was a moderate breeze that kept things feeling a little cooler.
We didn't arrive until 11:30, and weren't sure we'd be able to find a parking spot, but we were in luck. We work our snowshoes the entire way. They were required, but they weren't really needed. Many folks were not wearing theirs on the way down, in favor of spikes to help with grip on the ice.
Of course since we started late, we saw many people coming down as we were going up. We moved at a slow pace today and took 2 hours to climb to Porter. On the way back, Rev and I dashed up Cascade. Leesa opted to avoid the wind and get a small head start on us on the way down.
I always like to tag Cascade, even if the wind is whipping. That last 0.2 mile transformation to climb above treeline can lead to a world of isolation on the summit. It always feels so cool to me. You can tell by the final pictures below that it really is different up there.
Note: - Leesa and I found some boots left behind in the mostly empty parking lot in the afternoon. We picked them up in order to hopefully find their owner through social media. If you left boots behind on Saturday 1/20 in the Cascade parking lot before 3:30 PM, send us a comment in order to reclaim them!
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| A first peak below |
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| Rev, leading the charge |
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| Leesa climbing Porter |
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| The summit of Porter |
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| Leesa and Rev on Porter |
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| Rev heading for Cascade |
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| Much windier on Cascade (as is often the case) |
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| You can see the leash blowing and Rev fighting the wind |
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| Pretty isolated looking on this day |
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| Leesa cautiously making her way down |
Hike Stats:
Hike Distance: 5.6 miles
Hike Time: 4 hours
Total Vertical Gain: 2300'
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| The trails |
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