As I sat down at my desk for an office day a few months back, I noticed in my news feed that there was a high likelihood of spotting the Aurora Borealis in latitudes much farther south than normal on account of massive recent sun flares.
The report hypothesized that people as far south as Washington state might experience impressive Northern Lights. That was grounds enough for me to call it a day, pack up my overnight gear and head to the North Cascades in hopes of clear skies and dramatic night photography.
I decided to head to one of my favorite camping locations in the North Cascades: Wing Lake, at the base of Black Peak. En route to Wing, I passed the always-inspiring jeweled tones of Lewis Lake.
The first night didn’t yield any Northern Lights, but the moon made an impressive showing and illuminated Black Peak almost as though it was daytime. I decided I wanted to hike up there in the morning.
I stayed awake most of the night shooting photos, so as soon as the first light of day showed on the horizon, I made some breakfast and headed up Black Peak.
By sunrise I was well above my camp at Wing Lake and enjoyed watching the morning light play on the peaks of the North Cascades.
Gaining the ridge of Black Peak revealed an incredible view of some of the Cascade’s most impressive and remote peaks, including Goode Mountain to the right and Glacier Peak to the left.
A closer look at the NE Buttress of Goode leaves no wonder why this is one of the most sought-after alpine climbs in the Cascades.
The immense views from the top of Black Peak had me jumping for joy.
After minimal sleep, an early start and a bit of exercise, I was ready for a nap. There is nothing quite like a summit nap.
Back down at camp, I set up my tripod and played with some more night photography. Although I never saw the Aurora with my naked eye, I like to think that my camera picked up some subtle Northern Lights before the moon yet again illuminated the night world. And, whether this is indeed the Northern Lights, or just some clouds lit by the distant city, I was beyond thrilled to have had an excuse to get out and play in the hills.