Timberline Adventures Cycling and Hiking Vacations

Volcanoes of the Cascades/North NEW

Dates:
(9 days, 8 nights; Thurs-Fri)
July 22-30

Assembly Point: La Conner, WA
(airline service to Seattle, Timberline van shuttle from Seattle to La Conner prior to tour. Note that this tour ends in Troutdale, OR, with easy access to Portland airport, or post-tour lodging at airport )

Tour Cost: $2,895
(includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, van shuttle to La Conner prior to tour, park ent-rance fees, support van, leaders, tour maps & narratives)

Itinerary

       The eruptions of Mt. St. Helens in 1980, and its subsequent rumblings as recently as 2007, are fiery and unforgettable lessons that our planet is a living, ever-changing force never to be taken for granted. St. Helens’ explosion in 1980, in fact, ended decades of commitment to the notion that the volcanoes of the Cascades were extinct; dormant, perhaps, but not extinct and fully capable of coming to life at some unexpected point in time.

    Mt. St. Helens is only one of 14 major volcanoes in the Cascade Range, and one of the approximate 400 volcanoes that comprise the “Ring of Fire” of the Pacific Rim. Geographically, the Cascade Range extends from southern British Columbia to northern California—from Mt. Lytton in B.C. to Lassen in California. The range embraces no less than 12 peaks rising in elevation in excess of 10,000-feet, and two of that number—Rainier and Shasta—rise beyond 14,000-feet.

    Timberline’s fascination with the volcanoes of the Cascades has deep roots, dating back to earlier 9-day cycling programs, curiously also named “Volcanoes of the Cascades”, but limited in scope to the state of Washington. That earlier program lapsed into dormancy, but, as the mighty Cascade volcanoes have demonstrated over time, dormancy is not to be confused with extinction. Last season, the Cascade volcanoes became the focus of Odyssey 2009, a 17-day adventure along the spine of the Cascades from northern Washington to Crater Lake in southern Oregon. But our Odyssey Series is unique; content and location change with each season, and this year’s odyssey will carry us across the North American Continent.

    Odyssey Series or otherwise, however, we’re not about to abandon a region that provided an outstanding cycling experience. And so, last year’s odyssey has spawned two new adventures in 2010: Volcanoes of the Cascades/North and, as you might have guessed, Volcanoes of the Cascades/South. Volcanoes North will explore the Washington Cascades from North Cascades National Park southward through Mt. Rainier National Park to the summit of the Mt. St. Helens road at the base of the volcano. Volcanoes South (described in the Oregon Coast/Cascades section) begins at the western portal of the Columbia River Gorge, and continues through the gorge to Hood River, Mt. Hood, Bend and on to Crater Lake.

    Volcanoes North assembles in the quaint town of La Conner to the north of Seattle, near Puget Sound (we’ll provide a van shuttle from the Seattle airport on Assembly Day). Early morning of Day 1, we’ll ride east along the Skagit River to Marblemount, where we’ll spend the night at the Skagit River Resort.

    Day 2, we’ll launch into a long, gradual climb into North Cascades National Park to the very crest of the Cascades atop Washington Pass (5,477’). We’ll descend into the Methow Valley to, Winthrop, spend the night at the Winthrop Inn, and then continue along the downstream course of the Methow River to it’s confluence with the mighty Columbia River. We’ll overnight in Chelan on Day 3, on the shores of beautiful Lake Chelan, and then continue downstream along the Columbia to the Bavarian-style village of Leavenworth.

    Day 5, it’s up and over Blewett Pass (4102’), through Ellensburg to reach the Yakima River Valley before challenging awesome Chinook Pass (5,430’) on our way to Rainier. We’ll trace the Naches River to its source in the High Cascades as we climb Chinook. Just beyond the summit, we’ll ride beneath the historic arch that announces our arrival in Mt. Rainier National Park and catch our first incredible views of magnificent Rainier. We’ll spend our first of two overnights at the Crystal Mountain Resort and a layover day that offers outstanding above-timberline hiking options at Sunrise.

    Day 8, we’ll climb from Crystal Mountain to Cayuse Pass (4,675’) on the eastern edge of the park, descend to Ohanapecosh and ride westward to Morton, where we’ll spend our final evening. We’ll begin our final day with a short van shuttle just beyond Toledo so that we’ll have the opportunity to ride the entirety of the excellent road to its summit at the Visitors Center at the base of the Volcano. Later that afternoon, we’ll van shuttle to Troutdale, just to the east of Portland and adjacent to the Portland Airport.

Total Mileage — 537

E-Mail: timber@earthnet.net