As we crest the North Cascade divide and start our trek downhill, I was surprised by the sudden wetness, greenery and ice fields in the distance.
CASCADE MOUNTAINS-WEST – This area includes the western slope of the Cascade Range from an elevation of approximately 1,000 feet to the summit and extending from the Columbia River to the Canadian Border. Daily temperatures and precipitation reporting stations have been limited to elevations below 5,500 feet. Snow course measurements consisting of snow depth and water content of the snow pack are available for some of the higher elevations. Orographic lifting of the moisture-laden southwesterly and westerly winds results in heavy precipitation in this area. The annual precipitation ranges from 60 to 100 inches or more. Indications are that the heaviest precipitation probably occurs along the slopes of east-west mountain valleys which become more narrow as the elevation increases along the windward slopes of the Cascades. Annual precipitation in some of the wetter areas has reached 140 inches in one out of ten years.
The average winter season snowfall ranges from 50 to 75 inches in the lower elevations, gradually increasing with elevation to between 400 and 600 inches at 4,000 to 5,500 feet. Some of the greatest seasonal snowfalls and snow depths in the United States have been recorded on the slopes of Mt. Rainer and Mt. Baker. The greatest seasonal snowfall recorded at Mt. Rainer-Paradise Ranger Station (elevation 5,500 ft) was 1,000 inches in 1955-56. These and other high peaks above 7,000 or 8,000 feet remain snowcapped throughout the summer. Snowfall usually begins in the higher elevations in September, gradually working down to 3,000 feet by the last of October. The snowline in midwinter varies from 1,500 to 2,000 feet above sea level. Although snowfall continues until late spring, the maximum depth is usually reached during the first half of march. At this season of the year, snow depths above 3,000 feet range from 10 to 25 feet. The density of the snow pack increases from approximately 30 percent water the first of December to 45 percent water in March. In elevation above 5,000 feet, snow remains on the ground until the last of June or first of July.
The average January maximum temperature ranges from 40° F in the lower elevations to 30° F at the 5,500-foot elevation. Minimum temperatures range from 30° F in the lower elevations to 20° F in the higher elevations. Minimum temperatures from 0°to -17° F have been recorded in the higher elevations to the lower 60’s in the higher elevations. The minimum temperature is in the 40’s. Above 4,000 feet minimum temperatures occasionally drop below freezing in midsummer. In general, the temperature decreases approximately 3° F with each 1,000 feet increase in elevation.
(source) http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/WASHINGTON.htm
While it might not qualify as a "rainforest", the 100 or more inches of precipitation per year certainly does make for a lush and green environment.
Glacier National Park has a grand total of 25 named glaciers. This was apparent when Donna and I went there for the first time in 2012. I kept asking Donna "how can you call that 2 acre ice patch a glacier"? She finally got sick of me asking and told me to go ask the ranger, which I did. The ranger said that if the ice patch was still moving then it's a glacier. I guess moving backwards up the hill qualifies as...moving.
North Cascades National Park has over 300 hundred glaciers...300 hundred! I think the national park service got the names mixed up. (both photos are of North Cascades NP)
North Cascades National Park has over 300 hundred glaciers...300 hundred! I think the national park service got the names mixed up. (both photos are of North Cascades NP)
On of the "snazziest" national park signs I have come across. It's like they are thumbing their nose at Glacier Park with the fake snow field on top of the display.
The turquoise color of the water is stunning, it's the first time I have ever seen a glacial lake. The color is caused by the reflection of light in the suspended rock powder called "rock flour". Rock flour is the product of the enormous pressure from the weight of the glacier, grinding the mountain down to size.
This is Ross Lake which is one of three large lakes on the Skagit River.
Don't quote me but I believe this is the second lake called Diablo. Mother nature is already starting to build the normal 400 inch base of snow on the distant peaks.
In the park visitors center, they had a film of the park (the worst park film we had ever endured) that stated over 10,000 streams and creeks contributed to the Skagit River. This outstanding waterfall was one of them.
The Skagit River near our camping spot was still running at what I would consider... full, even at the end of a hot season. It is pronounced the Skajit...jit, not Skaget...get.
Newhalem Creek Campground had quite a few spots for a large motorhome which is unusual in a national park campground, I assume it's because the park is fairly new, having been established in 1968.
There were some large pull-throughs but I chose this spot just to keep Donna from becoming to complacent with my parking skills.
Labor Day morning, while Donna slept, I went out exploring. It didn't take me long to come out of the mountains and into what looked like a long gentle valley of hay and alfalfa. I liked the clouds hanging low on the very wet grass.
So, on one of the biggest holidays of the calendar and I decide to visit a fish hatchery, amid the hoard of expected holiday travelers...what am I nuts? I couldn't believe the lack of tourists wanting a little info on the Washington's attempt to plant game fish in the nearby lakes and streams.
I met Matt who was thinking "what's this old guy doing here on a holiday"? Matt unfortunately drew the short straw and had to work over the weekend. I did get some good "one on one" info about the raising of fish here. I throw around a few 'hatchery" words like triploid (a hatchery word for spaying the fish) so he'd know I wasn't some novice tourist to be taken lightly.
Matt tells me how they plant "wild trout" raised at the hatchery and I'm like HUH? "You fin clip them right"? (throwing around again my limited hatchery knowledge, hoping not to get called on it) "Nope", Matt says that they take brood stock of wild trout from local lakes, milk them and raise the fingerlings (just showing off here) to about two inches and then release the little buggers. I'm not about to argue with someone gracious enough to give me some good learning here, but it still sounds like hatchery fish to me...:-)
Because I didn't piss off Matt by arguing the fact that his "wild trout" sounded a lot like "hatchery fish" to me, he gave me the scoop on where to see some of the last Chinooks (or commonly called Kings) spawning just 200 yards south of the hatchery. I thought at first this was a tree limb or small log but the 3 footer moved upstream to do what salmon eventually do...die.
The Skagit River get all five runs of salmon... kings, sockeyes, pinks, cohos and chums.
Matt also stated that the hatchery was 350 feet in elevation but the river still had to flow 75 more miles to the Puget Sound which means the fish have a very easy swim to the spawning grounds.
The next blog on will be on my younger brothers favorite subject...juice!
This is Ross Lake which is one of three large lakes on the Skagit River.
Don't quote me but I believe this is the second lake called Diablo. Mother nature is already starting to build the normal 400 inch base of snow on the distant peaks.
In the park visitors center, they had a film of the park (the worst park film we had ever endured) that stated over 10,000 streams and creeks contributed to the Skagit River. This outstanding waterfall was one of them.
The Skagit River near our camping spot was still running at what I would consider... full, even at the end of a hot season. It is pronounced the Skajit...jit, not Skaget...get.
Newhalem Creek Campground had quite a few spots for a large motorhome which is unusual in a national park campground, I assume it's because the park is fairly new, having been established in 1968.
There were some large pull-throughs but I chose this spot just to keep Donna from becoming to complacent with my parking skills.
Labor Day morning, while Donna slept, I went out exploring. It didn't take me long to come out of the mountains and into what looked like a long gentle valley of hay and alfalfa. I liked the clouds hanging low on the very wet grass.
So, on one of the biggest holidays of the calendar and I decide to visit a fish hatchery, amid the hoard of expected holiday travelers...what am I nuts? I couldn't believe the lack of tourists wanting a little info on the Washington's attempt to plant game fish in the nearby lakes and streams.
I met Matt who was thinking "what's this old guy doing here on a holiday"? Matt unfortunately drew the short straw and had to work over the weekend. I did get some good "one on one" info about the raising of fish here. I throw around a few 'hatchery" words like triploid (a hatchery word for spaying the fish) so he'd know I wasn't some novice tourist to be taken lightly.
Matt tells me how they plant "wild trout" raised at the hatchery and I'm like HUH? "You fin clip them right"? (throwing around again my limited hatchery knowledge, hoping not to get called on it) "Nope", Matt says that they take brood stock of wild trout from local lakes, milk them and raise the fingerlings (just showing off here) to about two inches and then release the little buggers. I'm not about to argue with someone gracious enough to give me some good learning here, but it still sounds like hatchery fish to me...:-)
Because I didn't piss off Matt by arguing the fact that his "wild trout" sounded a lot like "hatchery fish" to me, he gave me the scoop on where to see some of the last Chinooks (or commonly called Kings) spawning just 200 yards south of the hatchery. I thought at first this was a tree limb or small log but the 3 footer moved upstream to do what salmon eventually do...die.
The Skagit River get all five runs of salmon... kings, sockeyes, pinks, cohos and chums.
Matt also stated that the hatchery was 350 feet in elevation but the river still had to flow 75 more miles to the Puget Sound which means the fish have a very easy swim to the spawning grounds.
The next blog on will be on my younger brothers favorite subject...juice!
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