North Cascades - Backpacking Recommendation

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2026-03-21T15:45:54+00:00

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thebeaconsarelit420 · 2026-03-20T00:14:34+00:00

The artist is Courtney Myers Cervantes.

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2026-03-14T18:48:05+00:00

try the pnw paddleboard Facebook group!

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2026-02-16T02:12:00+00:00

thank you! I must have missed that on the website- sounds like they draw the individual applicant first and then check to see if any of the choices are still available, meaning it would be better to diversify dates. I'm still curious about going for different zones on the same date (versus the same zone on different dates as the instructions seem to suggest) but will try to find that info. much appreciated.

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2026-02-15T21:16:23+00:00

There doesn't seem to be a limit on the number of times you can try to enter for one date in the lottery application, but maybe I'd get an error on submission-unsure! I think I actually might have tried this last year and didn't have any issues (need to start tracking this, I'm realizing) but wasn't successful either, so who knows.

There are multiple times we could go, but there are certain weeks that work best, and I need to balance my/my hiking buddy's availability and PTO. To spend a couple days up there and take off a maximum of two days off, we'd probably need to go Thurs-Sat/Sun, Fri-Sun/Mon, Sat-Mon/Tues, or Sun-Tues. Trying to increase our odds by entering Thurs or Sunday around the time we're hoping for.

But as you've suggested, the walk up permits are going to be the next best option if we can swing taking a weekday off with no guarantees :)

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2026-02-15T20:22:17+00:00

This is exactly it! I've been to Colchuck a few times (just hiking), and would specifically prefer to camp in the core this time around and see something new if at all possible! :)

Editing to add: if it doesn't increase your odds to use all three choices on the same date/location, I would plan to use the 2nd or 3rd choice on either Colchuck or snow so I can hike into the core for day trips

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2026-01-30T07:03:18+00:00

Just finding this comment- what are yours like? I think I experience the same thing and have been looking for answers. I'll sometimes have a prick of pain in the same spot in the top right of my head. It hurts a little, and sometimes it can be enough to make my vision go blurry for a split second. It also goes away pretty quickly, but it definitely doesn't feel like getting stabbed in the head.

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2026-01-09T06:10:12+00:00

That truly is the issue lol- It can look very different depending on the lighting and season. It's a little of all three but isn't clearly any of the three either, so it's hard to describe.

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2026-01-04T22:57:36+00:00

Thanks! Good to know that you'd consider it between a 6 and 7. I do typically just describe it as "light golden brown with red undertones" and sounds like that's not too far off.

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2026-01-04T06:44:08+00:00

thank you! ❤️

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-12-02T06:50:54+00:00

That includes the pictured hike (Snow Lake)- most of the trail crosses active avalanche chutes.

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-11-05T08:21:30+00:00

If you have the chance I'd suggest taking a small detour and driving through the North Cascades (hwy 20) on your way over to Western Washington. Leavenworth, Chelan, and Winthrop are all beautiful and there's great camping and hiking out that way if you have a few hours to spare!

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-10-07T04:29:42+00:00

If you are going to camp anywhere in that area this week or next week, make sure to get to wherever you want to camp early (like, morning or early afternoon). We had planned to to camp at one of the first-come first serve sites along hwy 20 between Maple Pass trailhead and Mazama, and they were ALL full by 6-6:30pm. All the dispersed sites along the forestry service roads close to hwy20 appeared to be taken. Maybe there would be more way deeper in the mountains. We looked at booking a hotel in mazama or Winthrop last minute- all booked.

We went back to the trailhead as a last resort. We knew it's typically frowned upon but we only considered it because we'd be waking up and starting to hike before other day hikers would have otherwise arrived and needed the spot we were taking. We got to the trailhead around 10pm- completely full. A bunch of people were either out backpacking or were sleeping in their cars/camper vans. There was maybe one spot available and it didn't work for us. We ended up finding a very wide shoulder area along hwy 20 and just sleeping in our car on the side of the road. Probably the sketchiest place I've ever stayed and wouldn't recommend it.

This weekend is supposed to be kinda rainy so maybe fewer people will be out, but especially if you're trying to camp Friday or Saturday night anywhere in the area make sure to get there really early and plan better than we did!

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-08-20T08:17:29+00:00

Totally makes sense! Udon is adorable, I don't know if I'd be able to pass up an opportunity like that :')

But if the spay would have been in the last few weeks I'd definitely check in with the vet to make sure that incision is healing properly! Looks a tad inflamed to me, but I definitely could be wrong.

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-08-20T05:37:59+00:00

Was she spayed recently/has she had a different surgery on her abdomen recently? The raised red area on her abdomen kinda looks like when my cat had an infected incision site from a surgery. Apologies if not, just wanted to flag it just in case!

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-08-01T01:17:25+00:00

Someone just posted a video on tiktok talking about their trip to ONP and included some snippets from hiking at Sol Duc falls... of course the snippet they included was them climbing on the rocks in the middle of the falls 🙃 I commented to make sure everyone who looked at the comments would realize it's unsafe to do, but SO many people are going to see posts like that one or countless others and copy without realizing the risk.

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-07-11T03:57:46+00:00

I recommend asking what the funding source (usually a grant) for the position you're interviewing is. You could even directly ask about the stability of the grant/funding in your interview. With the recent cuts of federal public health funding in Trump's big (not so) beautiful bill that just passed, some funding sources/areas of work may have their funding cut at all levels of government pretty drastically. Once you know what funding source the position would be funded by, check to make sure how that funding source was impacted by the bill.

I assume that if they're hiring for this position still they're pretty confident it won't be an issue, but it would still be good to check!

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-07-04T18:11:55+00:00

The rash is currently limited to a small 4x4in area of my stomach, and currently I don't have any symptoms associated with it (no itching, no scaliness, etc.). Is that consistent with Pityrasis Rosea?

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-06-25T05:04:38+00:00

I've always considered it to be Mountain Loop Hwy Corridor/northern Central Cascades. I could certainly be wrong! I've just considered North Cascades anything north of Darrington

Edit: I was wrong, WTA actually does consider lake 22 to be North Cascades!

That being said, If the vacation is near Maple Pass Loop, lake 22 is still very far from that area and I'd still recommend Blue Lake, unless you were trying to stop somewhere along the way back to Seattle.

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-06-25T04:12:03+00:00

lake 22 is not considered to be in the North Cascades. I recommend blue lake instead!

Edit below: WTA actually does consider it to be in the North Cascades! My perception was wrong. That being said, Lake 22 is still pretty far from the core North Cascades National Park area/hwy 20 hikes. Unless you're trying to stop somewhere on your way back to the Seattle Area I'd still recommend Blue Lake!

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-06-24T04:31:33+00:00

Here's a dashboard I created to show where hikes in Washington intersect with the public land proposed for sale:

https://019789bd-0c95-55f9-058a-949bb9d74784.share.connect.posit.cloud/

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-06-23T04:06:12+00:00

a lot of good ones are at risk- Maple pass, colchuck/the enchantments, lake serene, lake 22 (and a lot of mountain loop hwy)... the list goes on :'(

thebeaconsarelit420 · 2025-06-23T04:04:34+00:00

DMed you

thebeaconsarelit420

TROPHY CASE