North Cascades
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-The moment before the big drop
"Thanks for your beginning mountaineering course. All 3 of the instructors are exceptional people and I was lucky to have them be the ones who introduced me to this "sport" (though it seems more like a frame of mind...)."
Thanks again,
Trish M.
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North Cascades
North Cascades National Park is a relatively unknown gem of the National Park System and is a wilderness backpacker, climber or mountaineers dream. Known as the “American Alps” because of its combination of jagged peaks and glaciers, this park is situated in central Washington, just below the border with Canada. The park abuts Alpine Lakes Wilderness, creating a protected area of a million acres, and offers great recreation in a variety of ecosystems.
Across this vast area, the park and wilderness stretch from the lush, wet environment influenced by the Pacific to the drier reaches east of the Cascade Mountains. A convergence of tectonic plates has created dome-shaped volcanic peaks and granite pinnacles. The variety of terrain in this region is a veritable playground and classroom for climbers and mountaineers.
Cradled in the peaks are turquoise alpine lakes and spilling out of the high country are rivers flowing into the major drainages of the West: the Columbia River and Canada’s Frazier River. Up high are the Enchantment Lakes, a series of six lakes and dozens of smaller tarns surrounded by rocky slopes and snowfields. Extending from 6,800 feet (2,072 meters) to 7,800 feet (2,377 meters), these diverse alpine lakes are found in settings ranging from alpine forests to bald, granite bowls and are a highlight for many. The Cashmere Crags, rated as one of the best climbing areas in North America, is a series of granite spires rising from the landscape.
Just south of the wilderness area is Leavenworth, Washington, a mecca for climbers in the Pacific Northwest. Granite rock and the dry climate on the eastern slope of the Cascades offer year-round climbing under sunny skies. From technical bouldering to big climbs, this village offers great access.
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