Cascade Pass was our favorite hike that we did in our first year here and we wanted to do it again. Last time we went in September and the bushes were already changing colors for the fall, so we wanted to go earlier in the year this time.

We slept in a bit before leaving Sunday morning and decided to eat the sandwiches we brought at the trailhead. The weather was cool and partly cloudy, comfortable hiking weather. As we started the 3.7 mile ascent, we remembered that one of the nice things about this trail is that it's not as consistently steep as some others. As we neared the top, where the bushes had already turned reddish last year, everything was still green and there were some wildflowers remaining.

When we got to the pass, we sat and ate an apple, but there was a stiff, cold wind. With the wind, it felt like it was 50 degrees up there - a bit colder than we'd planned for. Originally we'd wanted to keep going, but we decided to turn back. Walking into the wind on the way down was uncomfortable, but after just a little while we were shielded by the trees.

Once we got back to the parking lot, we didn't do anything else there and just headed back. It was about a 3 hour drive back, with a couple traffic jams. It was a pretty long distance considering all the hiking trails that are closer, but it was a great hike. Hopefully we'll go again next year, earlier in the season, so that we can see more wildflowers and hike a little farther.