- Whitehorse Mountain has it all: The mountain itself is spectacularly beautiful, especially from the little town of Darrington at it’s base: The views from the summit are world class in all directions; the hike in and the climb are difficult enough to be forever memorable; and the solitude, especially considering this mountain’s proximity to habitation, is remarkable. On this last note: During my five trips up Whitehorse’s slopes over the past few years I’ve yet to encounter a single other hiker or climber save a herd of mountain goats in one of the meadows! As if that isn’t enough, there are stories of a mad Bulgarian hermit that lived for years in a campsite on the mountain’s lower slopes and there was even a TV movie with scenes filmed on the summit icecap. (see below: Misc.) Other accounts vary slightly but I measured the round trip as a relatively short 10.6 miles, but in this distance, starting at the 912 foot trailhead you will gain over 5,900 feet to the summit and another approx 1000 feet due to several ups and downs in the middle portion of the trail for nearly a 7,000 foot total gain.
- Wild Sky Wilderness (summitpost.org)
Wild Sky Wilderness is a 106,577-acre wilderness area located in the central Cascade Mountains of Washington. Enacted in 2008, Wild Sky Wilderness is the newest designated wilderness area located within Washington. This wilderness area encompasses land surrounding the North Fork Skykomish River and Beckler River drainages of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Road access to the area is via Highway 2 and Forest Roads 63 & 65. Highway 2 is immediately south of the wilderness area. Forest Roads 63 & 65 traverse through the middle of the wilderness area, connecting to each other near the northeast corner of the area.