46R Cascade (first 46er!!!)

Date: May 25th, 2007
People in Group: Jordan, Alese
Location: McKenzie Mountain Wilderness
Peaks Reached: Cascade Mountain
Start: 1:40
End: 7:30
Length: 2.4 miles, 1990 ft. ascent
Pictures: PicasaWeb Album

Bible Verse for Cascade: Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. Isaiah 49:13

The hike started at 1:40 in the afternoon at the trailhead on Rt. 73, about 7 miles from Lake Placid. We saw several beautiful flowers, toads, and a birds along the way. We reached the peak after about three hours of hiking. The trail was mostly dry with only a handful of wet spots. We saw snow about a half-mile from the peak!!!! :-o The peak was very windy, but a cleft in the rock face afforded enough protection for a mid-day meal. The hike back down the mountain was fairly easy; the only real challenge being the large rocks on the trail.

This was my first Forty-Sixer! I really liked the experience and can't wait to do another one. If you want to hike Cascade and eat at the top plan about 6 hours. If you are alone and going fast, you should be able to go up and come back down in about 4 hours.