North Cascades is less developed and has more wilderness than most of the National Parks we have been to. It had comparatively few people in it for September. The area was, and continues to be, a lumber area. Large trucks carrying tree trunks regularly drive up and down Route 20, the main east-west road through the park.
We were joined in the Cascades by Sue and Dean Hereford for a couple of days and we had a chance to hike several excellent trails inside and outside the park. The park doesn’t offer any real novelty attractions, just simple untouched mountainous wilderness with gorgeous peaks, water, and forests. We didn’t see much in the way of wildlife while deep in the woods, but we did see a lot of Black Bear scat.
There are several major dams on the mighty Skagit River that were built in the first half of the 20th century. They were built to provide hydroelectric power to the city of Seattle. As a result, Diablo Lake, Ross Lake, Lake Shannon, and Baker Lake were either created or greatly expanded. They are beautiful lakes but have a controversial past as many “progress” vs. “environmental/sovereignty” battles were waged over the past century. The dams are in relatively isolated areas and there wasn’t much going on near those we saw or drove over. It was a bit like the abandoned great works in the Lord of the Rings.
One interesting thing about the lakes and the Skagit River is the emerald green color of the water. It’s the result of suspended fine rock particles, called glacial flour. They enter the water when rock from the surrounding mountains is eroded by glacial ice.
To top off a great visit, The Bills creamed the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football and we had a good enough satellite view to actually watch it.
I liked the Mount Baker picture best!