This is one of those places in the North Cascades that has become too popular for its own good. Not just for the glistening alpine lake set amidst the towering granite peaks of the Cascades, but also for the larches that sprinkle gold on the rocky slopes that line the bowl-like depression where this beautiful lake lays. I remember spending a lot of effort into trying to pick up empty plastic bottles and food waste from around the pristine alpine lake.
I have witnessed how crowded up a popular area can get. And that increases the chance that visitors don't adhere to Leave No Trace principles. Not a day goes by when I don't read trip reports of trails and campsites littered with trash. At a popular backcountry location in the North Cascades I visited over a year ago, I was shocked to see the dirty remains of an illegal campfire covering over a dozen beer cans, innumerable cigarette butts, food wrappers and much more. I spent over an hour trying to clean up as much as I could and haul all the trash, but one can only do so much.
I urge you all to read about Leave No Trace , and adhere to it when you are out in the wilderness. Here are three key principles of the seven things you can do when you outdoors:
1. Leave what you find: Leave areas as you found them. Don't clear out sites or build fire rings, damage trees and plants/
2. Dispose of waste properly: Pack it in and pack it out, and this includes all trash, leftover food, fruit skins. litter and toilet paper. Always leave the place cleaner than you found it.
3. Travel and camp on durable surfaces: Concentrate usage on existing trails and focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent
These will help ensure that you such pristine locations are preserved for posterity.
North Cascades National Park
WA USA
Leave No Trace
As spring slowly transitions to summer, snow caps high in the Cascades will start to melt away and reveal beautiful alpine landscapes. And for a short span of 90 days, this fragile terrain will be host to not just thousands of eager hikers seeking out sublime vistas, but also delicate alpine flora and fauna, including feeble yet colorful plants that have to grow, bloom, pollinate, seed, and die in that short burst of summer, and hungry animals that have to fatten up for the next hibernation cycle.
So the next time you are exploring the high Cascades, remember to follow the Leave No Trace principles. This simple step will ensure that this natural beauty, such as this scene in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, is preserved for generations to come.
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
WA USA