“Often called the American Alps, in tribute to the rocky spires of prominence and resemblance to their European cousins, the North Cascades offers the rock climber and mountaineer an abundance of worthy objectives. With its access along highway 20, Washington Pass epitomizes North American alpine rock climbing, with often quality granite and moderate approaches.”

A classic, moderate route for all the right reasons. The summiting of, and traverse between, Mount Torment and Forbidden Peak in the North Cascades of Washington is hands-down my favorite two-day adventure. This objective draws many of the tricks from the alpinist’s tool bag, including a typical “Cascades-style” hiking approach, summer glacier travel, long stretches of rock climbing from exposed scrambling to low-fifth, a steep snow traverse, and a ridge top bivouac to top it off.

“With some practice on alpine climbing skills such as self-arrest, cramponing, snow anchors, and crevasse rescue, we set our sights on glaciated volcanoes and aimed the van towards the Pacific Northwest.”

“When it comes to getting through these long days, the fuel you put into your body is just as important as your fitness level. However, nutrition isn’t just something to think about as you set off for a through-hike or cross country cycling trip, but in the many months of preparation before your big objective.”

“We stumbled from our van at 3am, sleeping bags and camp chairs in tow. A ranger was walking down the empty road, flashlight aimed right for us. We thought he was there to tell us off for leaving our van in a national park in the middle of the night, for sleeping on the side of a road rather than paying for a legitimate campsite, for skipping showers and living off of ramen noodles and canned chili, for quitting our jobs and traveling the countryside in search of adventure and climbing, and for letting down our society with a complete disregard for its rules and expectations. Turns out he was just killing time on the night shift, looking for a wedding ring someone had lost out a car window. A needle in a haystack. We wished him good luck and made our way to Camp 4.”

“With our summer in Chamonix coming to a close, and thus our trip in France inevitably ending as well, to finish this hike—the culmination of everything we had done in the past year—was incredibly satisfying. We traveled 120 miles and 40,000 vertical feet of the Swiss Alps, hiking amongst massive glaciers, snowy peaks and runaway mountain goats.”

Backpacking is a very empowering experience. You push yourself beyond your perceived limitations and struggle against both mind and body, sometimes unsure of success. There were moments when I wondered if we might have taken on too much by attempting the route in only eight days of hiking. But you can’t get stronger without a little suffering, and with every successful summit comes a great increase in mental and physical strength.

“On a five minute stroll down its main street, you’ll pass by trail runners in bright lycra tights, well dressed couples window shopping, and alpinists just off the peaks, tromping down the street with full packs. I think that is part of why I love this city so much. Fancy-pants Chanel wearing ladies and ice ax toting dirtbags can be seen sitting on nearby benches and nobody seems to think this combination odd.”