skyline divide
4/15/2015
Weather Forecast
Wed, 07.06
Thu, 08.06
Fri, 09.06
...ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY... Dry and unstable conditions will be present over the Cascades again Wednesday. With daytime relative humidity values ranging between 25 to 35 percent, widespread Red Flag conditions are not expected. However, isolated locations or brief moments of critical fire weather conditions are possible.
(NWS Seattle (Northwest Washington))
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR HOT, DRY AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 658... * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 658 West Slopes of the North Cascades Generally above 1500 Feet and Fire Weather Zone 659 West Slopes of the Central Cascades Generally above 1500 Feet. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 20 percent. * HAINES...6 or High. * IMPACTS...A dry and unstable air mass with warm temperatures can contribute to active fire behavior. In western Washington, significant growth on existing fires takes place under such conditions. If a fire were to begin, air quality may diminish in the surrounding area.
(NWS Seattle (Northwest Washington))
Gaia Map
Approximate Route Map
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I have been wanting to hike Skyline Divide for a while after seeing some pictures of it last summer. I finally got the chance thanks to a full day of sun in the forecast.
The road was snow-covered 1.2 miles from the trail-head. It was several feet of powder so I got out to walk the rest of the road. When I arrived at the actual trailhead, there were no cars despite fresh tire tracks in the snow. This was going to be a nice solitary hike up to the skyline divide.
The Skyline Divide trail is nothing to rave about when there is snow. Nothing more than a steep trail through the woods. I should have brought some snowshoes with me considering the time of year. But, I forgot to rent them the night before from the student center. Instead I post-holed most of the way up to the divide. In a few places there were some snowshoe tracks. I was able to follow them partway. But without them, there would be a basic amount of navigation work.
The view from the top is spectacular. There are sweeping views from Baker to Shuksan and all through the north cascades. It was excellent spending 5 hours in the north cascades in complete solitude. I would love to return in summer and see what the wildflowers look like. But, I have heard the crowds on the Skyline Divide Hike can be heavy.