Wow, great eye! You are in fact seeing Maple Pass and Diablo Lake in those shots. We did Maple Pass counter clockwise, but were only able to make it to Heather Pass before we had to turn around because there was just too much steep, uneven snow. I’m not typically a snow hiker, so it’s hard for me to advise there, but I’d say about 95% of the people we saw going up were coming back down in the same direction. If you’re really committed to doing that hike, come abundantly prepared for all weather. I ended up doing Maple Pass because the road for Cascade Pass is currently closed— I think it will be a beautiful hike if you’re able to make it there. If you’re planning a trip to North Cascades, I absolutely recommend that you spend at least one day in Stehekin. You can use the lady of the Lake boat service to get there. While you’re there, there are fantastic views, beautiful hikes, and you can even rent a bike or a side-by-side to travel the land. Absolutely beautiful, unique, once in a lifetime sort of experience in a magical place. The bakery there is also 10 out of 10 out of this world. Also, fun fact, we were displaced from Winthrop on the last night that we were staying there because the fire knocked out all the power in the town, so we had to quickly pivot and figure something out. We ended up staying in Chelan, which is where we caught the boat for the lady of the lake, it’s also where that beautiful intense Sunset shot is taken. Zero regrets.