In almost every national park we’ve visited, you will find old photos and stories, telling the tale of the discovery, exploitation, and protection of the land. I usually leave these displays trying to imagine what it would be like to visit the park without traffic, campgrounds, and visitor centers. What makes North Cascades National Park unique is that 99% of the park is still wilderness. Only along highway 20 will you see three hydroelectric dams along the Skagit River forming Gorge, Diablo, and Ross Lake owned by Seattle City and Light. At first, this brought to mind the infamous Hetch Hetchy impoundment that riled John Muir. However the teal color of these lakes against these hanging glaciers on Alp-like peaks create an impressive landscape. We were joined in Colonial Campground on the shore of Diablo Lake by my sister Amber, brother-in-law Jon, their daughter Katie, and son Josh. The weather was much warmer than expected, so we were thankful for the ample shade in the campground. We hiked the 4 mile round trip Thunder Knob trail which gave stunning overlooks of Diablo Lake and Colonial Peak. Unfortunately, Eli, who is very allergic to dairy products, accidentally ate a granola bar with milk in it when we were about 2 miles from camp. When he was younger, any ingestion of milk meant he broke out in hives all over his body, became lethargic, and needed injection from an Epi-pen. We prayed, and watched him closely as we hiked back toward the campground. Thankfully, he only got a few hives on his chin, and managed to push through with no major reaction. He was a real trooper! With temperatures peaking around 90 F, we decided to swim in Diablo Lake. Diablo is formed by the tail waters of Ross Lake, so it is very cold (~45-50 F). It was an exercise in extremes; jump in the lake for as long as you could still feel your limbs, then bake on the hot shoreline. Repeat until dinner time. After a while, the kids got into an epic mud fight which passed the warm afternoon. Their only complaint is that they needed to spend some serious time in the chilly lake getting the mud out of their hair! After the hike, swimming, and dinner, the boys went fishing for a bit, but quickly returned to the campfire where we were treated to S’mores, and a wonderful variety show orchestrated by the kids. All in all it was a great visit to North Cascades, and we hope to return one day to explore more.
