The Ptarmigan Traverse

⚲ Cascade Pass to the Suiattle River, Glacier Peak Wilderness, Washington

Helly Hansen | Summit Post | Mountain Forecast

The Ptarmigan Traverse had been on our hit list for sometime, so when we had the opportunity to do the trip this summer with a great group of humans, we couldn’t say no…

This 35-mile, high alpine traverse, is a Pacific Northwest classic, offering endless views of beautiful glaciers, peaks, and icy blue lakes. After a short 3.25-mile start in the North Cascades, the route dives quickly into the Glacier Peak Wilderness where the Ptarmigan is as rugged as it is scenic. The epic terrain paired with the company we shared it with made this trip one we’ll remember for a long time to come.

All photos by Andrew Cochrane on assignment for Helly Hansen

The next morning we rose to a beautiful cloud inversion. After enjoying our breakfast above the clouds we descended to Cub Lake and made our way to the anticipated final bushwhack. It was just as bad as expected and a little worse as we were drenched with rain the entire way. Regardless, it’s hard to be bothered when you’ve spent the last four days trekking through an absolute wonderland with an outstanding group of people. We couldn’t have asked for a better adventure for our first, but definitely not our last, time on the Ptarmigan Traverse.

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Backpacking, Video, Washington, Cascade MountainsThe Wild OutsidersPtarmigan Traverse, Ptarmigan, Hwy 20, Cascade River Road, Cascade Pass, Arts Knoll, Red Ledge, Kool-Aid Lakes, White Rock, LeConte Glacier, Helly Hansen, Andrew Cochrane, Mitch Pittman, Moose, Teton, Glacier Peak WildernessComment