On Saturday, August 19, I met up with three rad ladies from the Seattle-area to hike Heather-Maple Pass Loop off of Highway 20 in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. It was a busy day, as all weekends tend to be off of Highway 20, so we decided to beat the crowds and go clockwise rather than the more popular counter-clockwise loop.
The beauty about this hike, and all hikes in the Cascades, is that every experience is different. On this day we encountered bluebird skies and an almost sweltering heat. Luckily the elevation helped us stay a cooler than folks on the valley floor but we were guzzling water on our way up.
At the top we stopped for a brief snack before descending to finish the 7-mile loop. After the hike was over, we met up at the Mazama Store for a snack and to share a few beers before heading off to dunk in the river at the one of the infamous Mazama swimming holes. It was great getting to meet other ladies who shared similar interests and we all had a great time discussing our lives and our beautiful surroundings.
9/6/2016
Raechel Youngberg
SheJumps Volunteer