Backpacker Magazine – June 2011

National Parks: North Cascades

Come for the sheer, glaciated peaks, but be mesmerized by rain-fed waterfalls that pour down on all sides.

by: Kim Phillips

Tags:
• National Parks
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• North Cascades National Park
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• Washington
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• Destinations
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ASK A BEAR
Q: Do grizzlies still live in the North Cascades?

A: The last confirmed griz sighting was in 1996 near Glacier Peak. A buddy of mine shot down from BC on a huckleberry binge. We’ll reintroduce ourselves anywhere for good eats! Right now, we’re far outnumbered by our diminutive cousin, the black bear. However, rumor of our presence is so strong that an interagency tech team is attempting to collect our DNA using 189 hair snag corrals—debris piles scented with fermented cow blood and fish, surrounded by barbed wire. They’re hard to resist—I’m planning to swing by a few myself. If you see me, or my tracks, take photos and be sure to tell a ranger. They get excited about that stuff.



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