Easy Pass Hike

On a sunny Fall day I went on yet another trek into the North Cascades with my brother, Steve, and his friend, David. Our destination was the top of Kitling Peak near Mount Logan. The first part of the hike was to Easy Pass which wasn't exactly easy. The trail climbed 2800 feet to the pass. Along the way we were granted beautiful views of the plants displaying their fall colors. At the top of the pass we had great view of Mount Logan.

The hike, unfortunately, was not done at this point and we headed off the trail to reach Kitling Peak. We trudged more than a mile across loose scree before even getting a view of the peak. The best route to the summit seemed to be on a distant ridge, but since it was getting late, we decided to climb up a nearby gully. The gully was steep and consisted of loose and broken rock. Further up the terrain just got steeper and dicier. We eventually gave up within 300 feet of the summit. Better to come home uninjured than taking risks to reach the top. Though we didn't summit and the off-trail hiking was miserable, I still don't regret the hike because the route to Easy Pass was very beautiful.