Ptarmigan Traverse: 20 years apart

The Ptarmigan Traverse is a 30+ mile, off-trail high route weaving between the glaciated peaks of the North Cascades of Washington, never straying far from the crest. The camp spots are spectacular. Most parties do the Ptarmigan Traverse in 5-7 days, most commonly in July or August, and usually from north to south. 

Peaks that may be climbed along the way include Mix-up Peak, Magic Mountain, "Hurry-up" (S Mountain), Mount Formidable, Spider Mountain, Le Conte Mountain, Sentinel Peak, Old Guard, The Lizard, German Helmet, Spire Point, Gunsight Peak, Dome Peak, and Sinister Peak.

My parents had first done the Ptarmigan Traverse in 1979; they had been married for 4 years and were 29 years old. At the time, there was hardly a path and the traverse required a fair bit of route-finding and cross-country travel. In 1996, they tried to take my sister Jenny and me (11 and 13, respectively) on the Ptarmigan Traverse (the initial plan had been Sahale Arm but we got busted by a ranger for not having permits and sent back to Cascade Pass; so the Ptarmigan Traverse with a fall-back because no permits were needed). But it proved to be too much for 11-year-old Jenny—the snow step at Cache Col that year was pretty steep, and she was a puddle of tears by the time she was at the col, calling it a "Death Hike" and convinced we would die trying to get back down. We spent the night at the col and hiked out the following day, my dad promising to take us to a Mariners game if we got out alive. In 2003, my sister now 18 and me 20 and my parents 53, we successfully completed the Ptarmigan Traverse in 6 days, even climbing the East Face (4th-low 5th) of Spire Point along the way; this was one of the most memorable backpacking trips we did together as a family. By this time the route had become popular, and there was a path most of the way. In 2009, I did the Ptarmigan Traverse again with a friend from university, bagging few summits along the way; and in August 2020, Jenny ran the Ptarmigan Traverse in a single 16 hour and 4 minute push. Over the years since our 2003 trip, my parents had several times mentioned their desire to return to White Rock Lakes, a spectacular basin of lakes in the heart of the traverse, but they never executed the trip, and each year it seemed less likely it would happen. It was now 2023, and they were 73 years old (and Jenny 38 and me 40). They still yearned to go, but felt that their days of carrying heavy packs with overnight gear were over. So Jenny and I came up wtih an idea: we would do a five-day in and out backpacking trip on the northern half of the Ptarmigan Traverse, going as far as we could go, with Jenny and I carrying the overnight gear and our clients parents hiking with lighweight daypacks. This would be the first time the four of us had been together in five years (since Christmas 2018 in Sedona). So Jenny and I booked a week off work, I booked a plane flight to Seattle, our parents gathered up all of their gear, and the plan was set in action. A hot and dry summer had led to very icy conditions on the glaciers and even more rugged terrain on the Ptarmigan Traverse than usual, slowing us down enough that we had to stop just a couple of miles short of White Rock Lakes (we wished we had planned for one more night, and then we would have made it there!); but despite falling short we travelled through spectacular terrain and had gorgeous campsites. I was so impressed with my parents, and it was our most wonderful and memorable family trip to date. So much better than going to Disneyland.

(Why not just do the entire Ptarmigan Traverse in 5 days, rather than and in-and-out on the northern end? Well, here are a few reasons: (1) avoid the time-consuming car shuttle in a schedule already compromised by work commitments and flights, (2) avoid the Downy Creek exit, which was reportedly quite 'schwacky in 2023, and (3) we weren't sure what our pace would be. We played it safe. In retrospect it would have worked out just fine to commit to the through hike.... July 2024 anyone?)

The following page gives a map of the Ptarmigan Traverse and photos from my parents 1979 Ptarmigan Traverse, our 1996 Death Hike, our 2003 Ptarmigan Traverse as a family, and our 2023 family trip on the northern half of the Ptarmigan Traverse. The 2023 trip is quite the photo bomb, since all of us had cameras (me an actual camera and the rest iPhones) and as a team we took over 1200 photos.

My Favoite Backpacking Trip.

I have done so many hikes I can't remember nearly half of them, but one I will never forget is the Ptarmigan Traverse of the North Cascades. This is a high alpine traverse involving daily glacier travel through rugged North Cascades majesty. In 2003, my family (dad, mom, sister, and I) did this beautiful 6-day hike. Below are some of my photos from our 2003 family adventure.

• Tue, July 29: Cascade Pass Trailhead to Kool-Aid Lake.

• Wed, July 30: Kool-Aid Lake to Yang-Yang Lakes.

• Thu, July 31: Yang-Yang Lakes to White Rock Lakes.

• Fri, August 1: Lazy day at White Rock Lakes. I scrambled to the top of Lizard Mountain.

• Sat, August 2: White Rock Lakes to Itwoot Ridge.

• Sun, August 3: Itswoot Ridge to Downy Creek Trailhead.

On this trip I used a Canon PowerShot S30 that I had bought in 2002 with a $1000 scholarship I got for academic excellence upon my high school graduation. It was a high-end digital camera at the time and took some pretty nice photos, but it had only 3 MP and as of 2023 you can find one on ebay for $20.

The year 2003 was pre-website days (I started my website in 2006) so I had created a physical scrapbook for this trip. I put this trip on my website in 2006.

• Wed, August 2: Marty and Sue drive from their home in Chilliwack, British Columbia to the Cascade Pass trailhead. Steph flies from Denver to Seattle. Jenny picks her up at the airport, and they drive to the Cascade Pass Trailhead, arriving around midnight. Marty and Sue are already asleep in the back of their Subaru. Steph and Jenny sleep in Jenny's van.

• Thu, August 3: In the morning, a packing fiesta ensues, with Steph and Jenny carrying all of the overnight gear and Marty and Sue having lighter packs. Hiking by mid-morning. Boot up Cache Glacier, past Kool-Aid Lake, past the Red Ledges, and establish camp just after the Red Ledges with a spectacular view of Formidable. Enjoy a glorious evening in the mountains.

• Fri, August 4: Hike over Middle Cascade Glacier, past Yang-Yang Lakes, and establish camp at Le Conte Pass on north shoulder of Le Conte Mountain. Enjoy another glorious evening in the mountains.

• Sat, August 5: Attempt to hike to White Rock Lakes, but due to dry glacier conditions and rugged terrain stop short, with the end point of the day being "Le Conte Boulder". Steph summits Le Conte Mountain as well. Pack up camp and move camp down to Yang Yang Lakes for the evening.

• Sun, August 6: Hike over Middle Cascade Glacier, past camp from the first night, past the Red Ledges, past Kool-Aid Lake, and establish high camp at Cache Col. Enjoy an evening watching the clouds roll over the col.

• Mon, August 7: Navigate icy conditions (entailing getting out the rope and hip belaying out of a crevasse) on the Cache Glacier due to rain the night before, hike the rest of the way out, discover Marty and Sue's car has a dead battery, find a friendly hiker to give a jump, and have just enough time to stop for a quick lunch at Birdsview Diner in Concrete before Marty and Sue drive Steph to the Seattle airport to catch a flight back to Denver, and then drive back to Chilliwack, British Columbia.