JasonG Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Trip: Cardinal, Emerald, Saska - StandardsTrip Date: 06/27/2020Trip Report: And this blast from the past brings us to June of 2020..... public lands are mostly open, with the exception of the National Parks. And @Trent and @ZakG decide it is finally time to branch out and go for the first overnight of our COVID season. Naturally, since it is June, the wet side lives up to its reputation and so we head east. Way east. It is a lot further over to the Entiat than I remember, but it does cut down on the masses. I think we only saw a handful of people all weekend, and plenty of space to stretch our legs and tick off a few more of the 100 highest. At this rate I might be done by the time I reach my full social security retirement age. But why rush? At this point I remember almost nothing about any of the routes we took, other than we didn't find any major obstacles. We generally looked at the map and followed our noses, ascending Cardinal the first day after setting up camp. The next day we went up Emerald, then stayed as high as we could over to Saska. We met a keen young man on the summit of Saska that was heading over to Pinnacle that same day. But we just took off our boots and enjoyed some time in the sun instead. It will have to wait for another trip. And, if we had been in a rush, we wouldn't have seen a golden eagle fly right under us along the North face of Saska (photo below). It was a good reminder that good things come to those who wait..... and to those that have their camera handy. Day 3 dawned cloudy with snow flurries, which rapidly intensified as we packed to leave with haste. Thankfully we were heading down and away from the worst of it and we didn't get too soaked or chilled. But it was another reminder that you often don't really know what is going to happen on these trips. Best be prepared! The hills are alive! Approaching camp (L) and ascending Cardinal (R) The three photos above are all on Cardinal Heading up Emerald with Saska behind (L), On Emerald near the summit (R) Looking back at Emerald from traverse to Saska On Saska with Cardinal above @Trent Summit views on Saska Golden Eagle on Saska. I emailed USFS wildlife biologists who work in this area and they say it is the first confirmed sighting in this part of the Cascades. Signing in to Saska. Please leave the registers up there, they are a great connection to our friends, some of whom are not with us any longer (RIP TJ). Heading down Saska Gear Notes: ice axe, crampon, helmet, fire.Approach Notes: North Fork Entiat Trail 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rad Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Great shot of that Golden Eagle! Hopefully their numbers will increase. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alisse Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 Yes, love the golden eagle photo! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_Alford Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 Jason- Thanks for the show. Nice photos. The Golden Eagle is amazing, likely a rarer sighting than a wolverine in the North Cascades. I would dare say more elusive than Sasquatch as well, but Darin has seen several of those. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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