GLACIER PEAK WILDERNESS, Wash. — Smoke was rising over Bonanza Peak. So Russ Dalton, 72, stepped inside the lookout post perched high above the Cascade Range to radio for backup. Dalton, a seasoned mountaineer and forest service lookout, was stationed at the summit of Sourdough Mountain, a popular hiking destination just north of Glacier Peak Wilderness. But today, his attention was focused on the tallest peak in the Cascades, looming on the horizon some 50 miles away.
Glacier Peak, also known as Dakobed, stands at an elevation of 10,541 feet and is the centerpiece of a vast wilderness area that spans nearly 570,000 acres in the North Cascades of Washington State. It is a place of rugged peaks, alpine lakes, and ancient forests, where glaciers cling to the mountainsides and the air is thin and clear.
For centuries, the region has been home to the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, who have long revered the mountain as a sacred place. In the late 1800s, European explorers began to venture into the area, drawn by its natural beauty and abundant resources. But it wasn't until the early 20th century that mountaineers began to tackle the challenge of scaling Glacier Peak.
One of the most legendary figures in the history of Northwest mountaineering was Fred Beckey, a fabled mountaineer and author who was the first to take hundreds of routes to the summits of North America's tallest peaks in the mid-20th century. Beckey made his first ascent of Glacier Peak in 1948, and in the years that followed, he would go on to make dozens of first ascents on peaks around the world.
But Glacier Peak remained a formidable challenge, even for Beckey, who famously declared that it was "the last of the great peaks to be climbed in the United States." It wasn't until 1963 that a team of climbers successfully reached the summit via the standard route, which involves a long, steep climb up a glacier and a final scramble up a rocky ridge to the top.
Today, Glacier Peak remains a popular destination for climbers and hikers, who come from around the world to test their skills against its rugged terrain. But it is also a place of immense natural beauty and ecological significance, home to a wide variety of wildlife and plant species, including grizzly bears, mountain goats, and old-growth forests.
In recent years, the area has also become a focus of conservation efforts, as environmental groups seek to protect it from the impacts of climate change and human development. The Glacier Peak Wilderness is part of the larger North Cascades ecosystem, which is recognized as one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world.
Despite its remote location and rugged terrain, Glacier Peak Wilderness is a place of great beauty and inspiration, where the human spirit can find renewal and connection with the natural world. As the first woman to lead a global team of adventurers, she made dozens of first descents from peaks around the world. Her body was found in...
