Boston Basin, Sahale Peak, Sahale Glacier & Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm — Saturday, Jul. 25, 2020

We ascended Sahale via the Quién Sabe glacier and descended via Sahale Arm. 

Some essential gear for this trip:

• Helmet

• Harness

• 60m rope

• Ice axe

• Mountaineering boots

• 4 snow pickets (2 per person)

• Crevasse rescue gear (prusiks, locking and non-locking carabiners, etc)

• Rappelling gear (ATC device, personal anchor, auto-block) 

• Glacier glasses

• Sunblock

• Navigation

We were a two-person team doing a car-to-car summit attempt of Sahale Mountain via the Quién Sabe glacier route. We started at 5:30AM and went up the trail towards Boston Basin. The stream crossings were passable and the trail was fairly easy to follow. We reached Boston Basin in two hours and hiked towards the Quién Sabe glacier. We roped up when we reached the snow and headed towards the left side of the glacier. 

Quién Sabe is in very good condition with minimal crevasses. The snow started getting steeper as we got closer to the Sahale Col. There was one portion that was super steep where we decided to use our snow pickets to set up anchors and do a running belay. I think this section is doable to climb without anchors, but it was a great environment to practice that skill and we were slightly concerned about a small open crevasse a couple hundred feet below us.

We got up to the ridge line and took off our crampons. We scrambled up some solid rock and reached the final snow portion where we had a clear view of the summit block. Be careful of the large snow cornices when approaching the summit. The summit block was pretty short but exposed so we used some small cams to protect ourselves. We enjoyed the views at the summit and quickly set up our rappel as there was a larger team behind us. Having a 60m rope was enough for us to reach the bottom.

We descended down the Sahale Glacier towards Sahale Arm. This glacier is dormant so we decided to not rope up for this section. Past the glacier we saw beautiful alpine meadows filled with wildflowers and playful marmots. The trail down Sahale Arm was well-maintained and super easy to follow. The final switchbacks to the parking lot were a major slog but better than the trail we took to get up to Boston Basin.

Climbing Sahale was such an incredible experience. It has some of the best views of the North Cascades and offers a little bit of everything when it comes to mountaineering. I would definitely consider doing this climb again and I am so excited to return to Boston Basin in the near future to tag other peaks like Mt. Forbidden and Sharkfin tower!

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://sites.google.com/view/wheresdenise/home