Methow Valley/North Cascades
August 2008
360 Postcard View from Maple Pass
Since we loved our 2007 trip to the Methow Valley and North Cascades National Park so much we decided to return again in 2008. Once again the Freestone Inn was our basecamp for day hiking and fly fishing. We left home on Thursday morning and began the drive over Snoqualmie and Blewett passes heading north to the Methow Valley.
The Freestone Inn - Early Winters Cabin
This year the Freestone was undergoing some remodeling so the kitchen and dining room were closed. We debated canceling but then decided instead to rent a cabin there and cook our own meals (burritos) so we could still enjoy the lake, pool, and grounds of the Inn.
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| Our cabin | The deer family that visited |
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| Hanging on the porch after dinner | Early Winters Creek at the cabin |
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| The Lake in the Evening | |
Maple Pass Loop
Our first hike was the Lake Ann/Heather Pass/Maple Pass/Rainy Lake loop, a beautiful 7.5 mile hike with about 2000 feet of elevation gain and incredible views all along the way. Since the forecast was for temps in the upper 90's we got up early and hit the trail at 7:15 a.m. leaving us quite a bit of the day to hang out and do other activities.
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| Looking down on Lake Ann | Tim at Heather Pass |
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| Catherine at Maple Pass | Contemplating the trail back down |
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| Colorful meadows on the way back down | Rainy Lake |
Cutthroat Pass via Rainy Pass (PCT)
We loved Cutthroat Pass last year and thought about repeating the hike we did then but instead decided to approach from Rainy Pass on the PCT instead. This was a 10 mile round-trip with 2100' of elevation gain taking us to 6900' so a bit more distance and elevation than Maple Pass.
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At the trailhead ready to go |
A mile in looking south over Rainy Pass |
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| Views from Cutthroat Pass | Tim at the top |
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| Catherine heading back down | Crossing Porcupine Creek |
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| Baby and mother grouse | |
Fishing
Since we hiked early each day I got in quite a bit of fishing on this trip. I fished Freestone Lake two evenings and Sunday morning for the resident trout there and managed to catch all species in the lake - Rainbows, Browns, and a Tiger (Brown/Brookie hybrid). The fish came on Damsel dries in the evening hours and on nymphs in the morning. The best "nymph" was a simple #18 Brassie midge pupae which landed an 18" rainbow, a brown, and a tiger. I also fished the Methow above Winthrop on the last day that water was open catching some huge whitefish nymphing and some rainbows on a #16 Yellow Stimulator. One afternoon I fished Boulder Creek north of Winthrop and caught many Brook Trout and a very nice Cutthroat again on a #16 Yellow Stimulator. Trip wise I got the North Cascades Slam - all trout species that live in the waters there - Rainbow, Cutthroat, Brown, Brook, Tiger (plus Whitefish).
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| Evening rise | Freestone Inn Brown Trout |