Taking A North Cascades Nap On A Granite Slab Overlooking A Hidden Lake

There are many things I miss about the Pacific Northwest.

Things such as having four distinct seasons.

Along with plentiful fruits and vegetables, often growing wild, free for the picking, like blackberries and mountain blueberries. Freshly picked corn bought from a roadside vendor selling the corn 10 ears for a buck, on the honor system.

Streets with sidewalks with a grassy median separation from the road.

Politicians who are not national embarrassments.

Public works projects the public actually approves of, via voting, which then actually come to fruition. What a concept.

Way fewer balloon people. Way more people who look like they have had the air let out of them.

And, the scenery.

Mountains in every direction. Saltwater beaches. Real islands.

The Washington scenery came to mind via today's Microsoft OneDrive Memories from this Day.

One of the photos was of me laying on my back, taking a nap, on a slab of granite, overlooking Hidden Lake, in North Cascades National Park.

I have no idea what the total number of hiking trails is in Washington. Thousands?

Hiking trails in the lowlands, in the foothills, in the Cascades and Olympics. Thousands of miles of hiking trails.

Just within a few miles of where I lived in Washington, in Mount Vernon, in the Skagit Valley. Hiking and mountain bike trails on Little Mountain in Mount Vernon. The hike to the top of Big Rock in east Mount Vernon. More trails a few miles further to the east. Heading to the west multi trails in Washington Park and Deception Pass State Park, and others. 

All within about a 30-mile radius of my abode.

Why did I move from this paradise on earth I do wonder every once in a while...

Hiking In The North Cascades To Hidden Lake Peak Today Instead Of Mount Tandy

Hidden Lake In The North Cascades

No, that is not today's view from the Tandy Hills in the picture. Though I can see where you might think that, what with the view looking so similar.

That is me in the picture, laying on top of a spire on which the Hidden Lake Lookout sits. The lookout is an old fire lookout, but nowadays it is the Lois Webster Memorial Shelter.

In the picture we are looking east, towards Cascade Pass and El Dorado. Hidden Lake is on the far western side of the North Cascades, about 50 miles east of my former abode in Mount Vernon.

I've only hiked to Hidden Lake once, sometime in the 1990s. I remember the road to the trailhead was a bit of a challenge. The trail itself is about 8 miles roundtrip, with an elevation gain of around 3,400 feet. The trailhead is at 3,500 feet above sea level.

The trail starts with switchbacks through lush vegetation and deep woods. Then you come to a granite juncture in the trail where you find yourself suddenly above the treeline, leaving the verdant lushness behind, crossing a meadow to alpine heather. In less than a mile you come to a notch between Hidden Lake Peak and the spire on which the Hidden Lake Lookout sits. The boundary of North Cascades National Park in along this notch.

The view from the lookout, on a clear day, is one of those you can see forever type experiences. Washington's most hidden volcano, Glacier Peak, is clearly in view. To the south you can see Mount Rainier. To the north Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker, with Baker being another of Washington's active volcanoes. The panorama of dozens of mountain peaks is a spectacle.

And here I am in Texas, where a Big Adventure, for me, is driving 4 miles to hike on some very short hills, covered with mostly un-lush vegetation.

I think if I'd not sold my house in Mount Vernon in 2003, I'd be really thinking serious about moving back to Washington. I miss it. Sometimes.