“If you were to tell me that getting stung multiple times by bees in the backcountry (FYI i’m severely allergic) and finishing our second day in the dead of night, exhausted after 16+ hours on the trail, would somehow be my personal ‘highlight’ of the entire trip crossing the North Cascades, I would have called you crazy.“
The North Cascades Traverse is an epic three day stage run covering 80 miles of pristine wilderness in the beginning of autumn, crossing the North Cascades via less travelled trails through the rugged mountain range sometimes referred to as the “American Alps”. After closing off an unreal Wonderland season and spending back to back weekends on such magical trails, I was excited and curious to step into totally new territory!
Day 1: Highway 20 to Colonial Creek via Easy Pass
We met our small but mighty crew bright and early for our shuttle start and headed out mid-morning to climb up Easy Pass. Runners were stoked on crossing the North Cascades. The first few hours up to Easy Pass flew by. We laughed while taking in the big views into Fisher Basin from the pass, knowing the remaining 20 miles was essentially a gradual downhill grade. Once reaching camp, I took a moment to quickly dip into the icy waters at Diablo Lake before the last patch of sun was lost behind the towering mountains. After a quick refresh and icy jolt to the muscles, I headed back to camp to cheer on our other runners coming in. It was time to relax around the fire with a big meal.
Day 2: Ross Lake Dam to Graybeal Backcountry Camp
Waking early the next morning, my job for the day was as the ‘sweep’ guide, hanging back with the last runner. With 33 big miles ahead of us, I was ready to hit the trails with 72 year old Doug Mckeever (a bit of a local ultra running legend in the North Cascades). I got to know Doug briefly the day before, and having been informed by others of his endless stories and knowledge of the Cascades, I was thrilled to a have a big day out together.
As we crossed Ross Dam towards Big Beaver Creek that morning, it was evident we were in for a solid day out together. We dove right into sharing epic adventure stories, talking in great depth of our favorite trail snacks, laughing at the sluggish pace in which Doug would eat said trail snack, foraging for berries along the route, and listening to him reminisce on memories from before I was even born on the exact trails we were running on now.
A mountain buzz
Day two crossing the North Cascades was going great, but that quickly turned when a group of three hikers came forward, warning us of a very angry swarm of bees 2-3 miles ahead. One of the hikers was stung 11 times and the others were also bit multiple times. Knowing Doug was allergic to bees and keeping in mind my own personal experience breaking out in full body hives from the last time I was stung, we continued forward apprehensively.
We ran forward checking our watches as we neared the 3 mile point, unsure of what to expect. Reaching 3.3 miles, we began loosening up, believing we had hit a stroke of luck and passed the hive. As soon as we convinced ourselves we were ‘in the clear’, the raging bees emerged from their domain ready to attack. We lunged forward in a full sprint, evacuating the area completely. Doug and I were both stung multiple times and quickly retrieved our ‘miracle drug’, Benadryl, out of our med-kit. Knowing this would concurrently be our saving grace and make us feel drowsy and light, we continued on for the remaining 18 miles.
What happened from that point on until reaching the base of the climb up to Whatcom Pass, was a blur of ridiculous jokes, tons of snacks and berry foraging to keep our energy high, along with one or two deep internal desires for a short nap on the trail. Our energy low as night began to creep in, we began the endless climb up to the pass covering more switchbacks than one would hope so late into the night.
As we carried on surrounded by darkness, headlamps lighting the way, we knew we were making progress. We both genuinely felt this sense of calm and enjoyment being out there together so late at night. After endless switchbacks, we hit the peak of our climb. We were unable to see so much of the ‘epic views’ we were told about, but that didn’t bring our spirits down. We continued on, repeating Doug’s famous phrase, “I always have more to give”. Besides, while everyone was already at camp, we were at the top of the pass feasting on more blueberries than we had cumulatively consumed all day – enjoying some of the freshest hors d’oeuvres to our soon-to-be late night dinner!
After making our way down towards our backcountry camp at Graybeal, we noticed a few small, glimmering headlamps in the distance. Hooting and hollering as we made our way towards the group, we quickly realized most people were fast asleep after their own big day out. Full of exhaustion and ravenous for a big meal, Doug and I peeled off our sweaty clothes and bundled up in warm layer as Abe fired up the stove.
We sat down and shovelled the steamy, salty, caloric goodness into our mouths. The duality of pure exhaustion and a surge of energy struch while recounting all of our personal shared adventures on the trail for the day. Abe mentioned how astounded he was to see our spirits so high after nearly 17 hours on the trails. I looked up at Doug, and huge smiles broke across our faces. We finished the last of our dinner before heading straight for our sleeping bags for a peaceful night in the open air, under the stars.
Day 3: Copper Ridge
We all woke early the following morning, with one last big day in the mountains ahead. I ran ahead of our group to reach our final basecamp early and ensure the food, drinks and a welcoming celebratory camp was ready for everyone as they finished!
As I ran ahead thinking I would be solo for much of the day, our photographer Nick caught up in the first few miles and said he’d be joining me up until we reached Copper Ridge. I was elated to have his company, and we ran on, excited for the day ahead. As we started our ascent to the ridge, we were speaking of our epic prior trail days with Doug. 45+ years our senior, he had previously anointed both of us his ‘honorary grandchildren’. Our spirits were high before even reaching the highlight of the day – Copper Ridge. Opening up out of the trees after a big climb, we were gifted with sweeping views across the Cascades that extended for miles.
We stopped for a quick snack together at the lookout point, both full of energy and buzzing from the surrounding landscapes. I then carried on to basecamp. Nick stayed behind to capture photos of our Aspire runners as they came up the ridge, all just as mesmerized by the views as we felt.
I continued to revel in the wild landscapes while my mind kept going back to all the moments of true connection I felt on the trail in only a couple of days. I crossed over Hannegan Pass and ran down into the Ruth Creek drainage to meet the remaining Aspire Crew. Always full of trailstoke and personal stories of our day, we worked together to prepare and set up our celebratory camp for all the runners as they finished crossing the North Cascades.
After having spent the latter part of my day running solo, I couldn’t wait to see everyone run in, all full of exhaustion, admiration for the landscapes, and a healthy level of pride in what they had just accomplished both individually and as a collective.
Cheering for Doug as he ran in felt especially significant after sharing such genuine moments out on the trail with him the day prior. I was also elated to have his beautiful wife (of 50 years) Audrey be there to cheer him to the finish as well.
Seeing everyone come in, sharing stories, scarfing down food and with a buzzing level of contentment, I felt an immense wave of gratitude. At that moment I felt that no matter what happens out on the trail, whether it’s being fully enamored by the wild landscapes, swapping stories, or even something as ridiculous as being attacked by an angry swarm of bees — when they are shared in the company of others, you are setting yourself up for a truly epic adventure.
Join Aspire on a North Cascades Traverse trip and enjoy the sweeping views and rugged valleys of the “American Alps”. Terrain this good shouldn’t be this runnable, and yet…!
Kara Folkerts is a plant powered trail runner, sustainable travel advocate, yoga teacher, and passionate about all things sustainability, travel, health, and outdoor movement. Originally from Canada, Kara has spent the last few years exploring and living abroad in various countries across the globe before joining the Aspire crew in 2020. Kara has been guiding various trail running, sustainability, and health retreats internationally since completing her undergrad in Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership. With all of these experiences, she seeks meaningful connections with others, loves to learn of new cultures, and fosters the mindset of a lifelong learner. With a big heart for trail running and exploring wild places, she’s always stoked to get out there with others.
She writes about all her adventures on her blog at www.karafolkerts.com and on her instagram @karafolkerts