Skyline Ridge
Derek, Joe, and Susan
11/30/08
I pulled into the parking lot for the Sultan Bakery at 7:00 a.m. As I suspected, Derek and Susan had found themselves a table and were hard at work putting back some goods. After ordering a few doughnuts for myself we set off for Stevens Pass.
Along the way, Derek, Susan and I talked about our choice of destination. We had originally intended to snowshoe into Lake Valhalla. Realizing that our snowshoe trip would most likely end up being a hike along a trail that we'd rather snowshoe, we talked about hitting Skyline Lake & Skyline Ridge. At worst, it would be good recon for an upcoming ski trip.
We pulled into the Stevens Pass Parking Lot a little before 8:00 a.m., our hearts hung low at the sight of a serious lack of snow in the pass. Stevens Pass is a good 4 solid snow storms away from opening. Putting our heavy hearts aside, we geared up and headed up the trail.
The trail for the first 400 vertical feet or so is a combination of gravel, snow, slush and mud. After a few switchbacks we reached a level of consistent snow. Following some well worn boot paths we worked our way to the lake and enjoyed some blue-bird skies. After that we worked our way up the ridge to a high point and took in some nice views of Lake Valhalla and Glacier Peak.