One thing that is different between me and my husband is that I am not an extrovert. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t like talking to people. I do. But usually like 2 at a time and about big ideas and serious topics. I don’t like small talk and I don’t like big groups or parties. I love people-watching. But Will loves talking to everyone and is always chatting people up. So naturally, out in the van and on the trail, he finds people to be chatty with. He might see someone with a van and ask them about their build. He might talk to someone about doing something he wants to know more about. He says hello to everyone on the trail. This was no different when we spent a night in Northern Cascades National Park. When we arrived he chatted up another couple staying the night to get up early to go climbing. In the morning, we met another empty nest couple who had just moved a kid and was exploring the Pacific Northwest. I am used to his chattiness and sometimes I even ask him to go chat up people when I want information. I like that he can be that person even if I am not.
We only had one night in the Northern Cascades so of course, we had to hike. It’s the beginning of our nest 3 1/2 week journey, this time headed east. But I have seen so many photos of the cascades and video clips of people hiking the PCT, I wanted to see if it was as amazing in person. It did not disappoint. We woke up, ate breakfast, and hiked up to Blue Lake. We packed our trekking poles which can be helpful in steep terrain. Will also brought bear spray, which I am scared of using still. But no bears were seen. We haven’t seen a bear since we left Southern California. The views were amazing. Will kept saying that he didn’t realize this was only 2 hours away from where we’ve been living. It was a chilly 44 degrees when we got up but the 4.4-mile hike warmed us up soon enough.
We saw amazing views of the mountain range even before we got to the lake. I always see people share photos of purple flowers in the Cascades and I was excited to see them when we got to a little meadow.
When we got to the lake, we definitely decided to dip our feet in, despite being icy water. And the colors! Gorgeous. On the way up, we had the trail to ourselves. On the way down, more people were coming up as it got later. These kinds of hikes are why I wanted to do vanlife and what I imagined we’d spend our time doing. We want to prioritize more time for stuff like this on our days off.
I think the hike is rated moderate with the elevation gain and it’s at an already high elevation (5200 ft). Dogs are allowed on the trail on a leash and parking is $5 or waived if you have a Northwest forest pass. Highway 20, which runs through the Cascades is not always open, especially in winter, so check the roads. Earlier in the month, fires east of here caused a lot of smoke, but it was all clear by the time we arrived. Good info can be found at the Washington trails association website.