Among last weekend’s fabulous weddings, I married C & Z atop Winchester Mountain in the North Cascades. What an adventure! Unlike Artist Point, the parking lot is unpaved, and the trail is challenging. Getting there involves a seven mile drive up an unmaintained forest service road. If you go, leave your car and most SUVs at home. I took the family RAM, and I’m glad I did!
The last couple miles of road took me a while, as it’s steep and well-rutted. I saw a couple of high-centered sedans along the way. The parking lot between Twin Lakes was full as people escaped the heat of the lowlands. I grabbed my hydration pack, and the first photo above, and headed up the trail.
The trail to the summit is about two miles and claims over 1300 feet in elevation gain. I took my time, and it only took me a couple of hours to reach the top. There were too many beautiful photos to take for me to race to the top. I arrived well ahead of the rest of the party.
Once the C &Z and photographer Henry Tieu arrived, we got ready. We had nearly a dozen impromptu guests as people had cl