Sahale Extends Panoramic Arm

On an early Saturday morning late in September, I drove to an almost empty parking lot. It was still dark, and the famous Seattle drizzle was accompanying the few drivers on the road. I was 15 minutes late to the parking lot – our designated meeting spot. Few had already bailed out as the weather was not that ideal. The rest of the group was about to leave as I showed up. John drove the three of us in his red Ford sedan. The next two and half hours I was dizzy, compensating for my lack of sleep the last night. It was day at the trail head and a little chilly with clouds blowing away. We started hiking around 9:30 in the morning. As per WTA our summit was 6 miles away and 3600 feet up.

We reached Cascade Pass after we breezed through 34 switchbacks ( by the way, this is not a made up number) and elevated by 1800 feet. Dense clouds floating by the valley literally took the shape of a water fall. As we continued higher up over the Sahale Arm piercing the clouds, the wind grew stronger and visibility reduced. Both my fleece and camera body started soaking with condensed water from the cloud. Although we could see hovering clouds in the lower valleys, after reaching the ridge at the top of the Arm, clouds cleared out. Finally sun light shown through the layer of clouds obliging us as we huffed and puffed our way up to the Sahale camp area at 7200 feet.

On our way back, sun stayed with us until we reached Cascade Pass, at which point thick clouds and fog dominated the landscape and we experienced low visibility and chilling wind once again.

Sahale became synonymous as panoramic and definitely defends it’s case well as one of my favorite hikes. May be the pictures will help my point.

Cloud in cascade pass

Trail over the arm

On our way up

Direction to Doubtful lake

Hovering clouds over Pelton basin

Doubtful lake

Another shot of Doubtful lake

Island in Doubtful lake

Fall colors under fog

Fall colors along trail

Colorful meadow

Fall colors surround the trail

Man made staircases

Floating clouds and fading trail

Hovering clouds in lower Pelton basin

Arm top and the peak

Boston peak still under snow

Johannesburg Mountain

Johannesburg and Cascade peaks

Cascade and triplets(?)

West end of Johannesburg mountain

A marmot – probably having lunch

Destination in sight

View from Sahale camp

Doubtful lake from Sahale camp

Doubtful lake wrapped by the Arm

Looking west from camp

Another shot towards west from Sahale camp

Doubtful lake on the way back

Another shot of Doubtful lake

Sahale peak and camp area

The Arm, camp and the peak

Over the Arm

Winding trail cutting through the meadow

Colorful meadow over the Sahale Arm

Meandering down to Cascade Pass

Glimpse of hovering clouds peeking through valley over Sahale Arm

Color filled valley

Hiker enjoying the vista

Cascade peak emerging up beyond a colorful valley

A fall down to Downbtful lake

Violet vista

Hiking down

Contrasting colors

Trail cutting through meadow

A li’l wetland beside doubtful lake

Rocky landscape

That would be me

On my way back

 

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