After taking the advice of a few members a couple of months back, I decided to make my (actually, "our" since it includes my girlfriend Jamey) first winter 46er a pretty easy one: Cascade. Since it was just the 2 of us, it made sense to attempt a well-traveled peak that is close to help if necessary.

The weather was absolutely PERFECT on saturday march 6th - about 20 degrees when we got started at 8am, no wind (at the base anyways...more on that later) and not even a hint of clouds, unless you count the random white streaks from jets passing by high overhead. Equipment was straightforward: snowshoes and trekking poles with a few layers of clothing, though the outer layers were quickly shed. The trail was packed quite well and slick enough that the shoes were helpful, though you could have made do without them.

We took our time, especially as we moved higher up the mountain, enjoying some incredible views. The surrounding peaks were amazing (Cascade presents top-notch views with limited work to get there), along with trees that were overwhelmed with heavy snow - spectacular photo ops. Once we broke above the treeline, however, things got interesting...

A few weeks before the trip, I decided that it was wise to bring a windproof mask and ski goggles for Jamey and I; it was a good thing. The casual hike of the last couple of hours turned into an arctic experience. Ok, not quite arctic, but definitely a major change of pace. I'll defer to the meteorologists for the sustained wind and gust stats, but let's just say it was a challenge to keep your balance. I took a 30-second 360-degree panoramic video from the summit and the howling wind is the star of the show.

Understandably we spent a very brief time on the summit and headed back down, with Jamey finding a new favorite pastime when she discovered the joy of sliding down the mountain on your butt. It was warm enough at that point that the snow was sticky and it left me wishing for a sled, but we both had a blast and definitely plan on making winter hikes a common occurence.

Good for you guy's! Glad to hear that your first trip was a successful one. I was up on Sawteeth the same day and agree the weather perfect. Thanks for shearing about your trip, look forward to seeing more.

Happy Trails, Wayne

Congrats on your W-1. Glad you got a nice day for number 1. Cascade can be pretty icy on the summit rock, how was it when you were there? Ed

no ice at all - mostly hard-packed snow where everyone had walked with a bit of crust everywhere else