Washington Cascades Logistics

Preparation

Fitness

All adventures in the North Cascades require a high level of fitness for safety, enjoyment and success. Please arrive at your program prepared for long days of continuous movement with moderate to heavy packs (40-50 lbs). There are many different training philosophies and programs to follow. We encourage you to do your research to find a plan that fits your lifestyle. Uphill Athlete, founded by world famous alpinist Steve House is an excellent place to begin your research. Short of customized or curated programs we suggest adhering to the following principles:

  1. Volume – get as much mileage as you can to build your aerobic and endurance fitness. This does not have to be ultra-marathons, but full days of movement at a moderate pace will pay dividends. Utilize terrain that will mirror that of your upcoming trip as closely as possible. If time is something you do not have in abundance, boost the intensity. 
  2. Weight – Train with weight. Moving efficiently with a heavy pack takes practice and the development of specific muscle groups.

Nutrition and Hydration

You are responsible for providing your own food and personal eating utensils for your program. Your guide will supply stoves and other group cooking necessities.

Proper nutrition and hydration are key to success. All that fitness you have developed will not be worth anything if you don’t properly fuel the tank. Your gear list has calorie recommendations for you to follow. Test out your food and nutrition plan prior to your trip. Avoid trying something for the first time during the trip. Your body will be experiencing enough new stimuli and a dramatic change in diet will make the adaptation more challenging. Pay careful attention to the amount of hydration you require while training so you know how to calibrate your intake while attempting your objective.

Gear

Proper fitness, nutrition, and self-care are the strongest indicators of success followed closely by proper outfitting. We highly encourage you to try out any of the gear you acquire for your adventure in advance. This applies most strongly to footwear. We understand that this is not always possible and we will offer tactics and techniques for proper use of any new equipment when we are in the field. Be sure you have all the necessary items on your gear list and contact us if you have any questions. See our North Cascades gear lists below and cross-reference our Gear Guide for specific Recommendations. If you need to acquire any rentals prior to your program please reference our Gear Lists and Resources page for rental options.

Logistics

Transportation

  • Air Travel: Seattle – Tacoma International Airport is the best option for air travel. It is a major international airport with frequent departures and arrivals from across the country. Bellingham Airport is another option and is slightly closer to Mount Baker and other North Cascades objectives. However, the flights will be more limited and likely more expensive. We strongly encourage you to reserve flights for the day before and the day after your scheduled adventure.  This will allow for you to get settled before your program and acquire any last minute supplies as well as provide a buffer for the final day if we arrive back at vehicles later than expected.
  • Ground Travel: A rental vehicle or other personal vehicle will be necessary for ground transportation, to, from and in between objectives.

Lodging

We recommend finding lodging within one hour drive time of your meeting location. All lodging reservations, permits and other logistics while in the field are covered. You are responsible for securing lodging before and after your program as well as rest days out of the field for programs with multi-objective adventures.

Parking

Parking in the National Forest requires a Northwest Forest Pass. The passes are $5/day or $30 annually. Day passes can be acquired day-of at the Glacier Public Service Center. This pass is required for the following climbs:

Program Meeting Time and Location