North Cascades Ski and Snowshoe Exploration

When the winter snows have closed the North Cascades Highway, it’s always fun to pick a good day to drive to the gated end of the road and enjoy the serenity and beauty of this often overlooked outing. A small group of club members did just that. Frozen lakes and waterfalls, snowcapped peaks, and what seem like short simple hikes in the summer become more strenuous and exciting winter snow trips. The final segment of this special day was the ascent of Thunder Knob overlooking Diablo Lake. Two stream crossing, both flowing, route finding on a sometimes vague trail, and a final crosscountry compass trek were required to reach the summit. Wonderful views and not a little fulfillment was the perfect end to this day. Scouting some other trails though, gave us some more ideas for the next trip up the North Cascades during the winter.