Wenatchee Crest Snowshoe (Blewett Pass) — Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026

My new therapist gave me homework to find stuff to do outside, even with some health stuff I’m working through. I’ve been a slug for months, but I wanted to go somewhere sunny and quiet today. Somehow I landed on the Wenatchee Crest trail at Blewett. There’s a spot almost exactly one mile up the trail where the road curves and you get your first views of the Stewart Range. That was my goal, to watch the sunset.

The sno-park was in excellent shape today. Porta-potties in the bigger lot looked like they had just been cleaned and stocked, though there was no hand sanitizer. (I keep some in the car, anyway.) The smaller lot was bare pavement, and they haven’t put signs up about parking so the grooming vehicle can get through.

Based on the sparse snow pack, I decided to leave the snowshoes in the car, and just used microspikes for the hike. They were perfect for as far as I went. The path/road is compact and icy, so some sort of traction will make your trip easier.

My goal was one mile up the path/road, where the road makes a curve and you get a nice view north and west. I was loving the bright sunshine and brilliant blue sky. The air was fresh with a faint scent of the pines. Once you get away from the highway, it’s so quiet out there. The only sounds (besides the occasional airplane) were nuthatches, squirrels and ravens.

At my stopping point I set a mat down and got out my stove to make coffee. I wrote in my journal a bit and then heated up some leftover chili for dinner while I watched the subtle colors of the sunset. I had to put on all my layers as temps were dipping toward freezing. Then I packed up and headed back down to the car. I often get the heebie—jeebies at dusk by myself, but I avoided being eaten by a cougar. The stars were so bright by the time I made it back to the car. My tracker showed 2.25 miles.