North Cascades Aug 18-22 Pivot or No?
Flying into Seattle next Tuesday for a solo hiking trip and trying to make my final call between North Cascades and Olympic.
Current plan is to stay in Winthrop:
Wed 8/19: Cascade Pass → Sahale Arm
Thu 8/20: Maple Pass Loop (assuming Rainy Pass reopens)
Fri 8/21: Diablo/Ross Lake area + canoe/kayak
Weather next week looks pretty good, but obviously I'm watching the wildfire smoke. I know Winthrop can be smoky while Cascade Pass/areas west of the crest can be much clearer.
I can still cancel my Winthrop lodging and pivot to Olympic, but Sahale is the hike I've been looking forward to most, so I don't want to bail unnecessarily.
If this were your trip next week, would you stick with North Cascades or pivot to Olympic?
Some haze doesn't bother me. I'm mainly trying to avoid unhealthy air or having the mountain views completely obscured.
Thanks! Super excited either way.