After a 3-day backpack in The Enchantments with two friends, I did a 10-day solo in another part of the southeastern area of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

The ALW comprises a series of mountain ranges on both sides of the Cascade divide. This story took place in granitic ranges, rather early in the hiking season -- commencing on the day before the summer solstice -- for such a northerly area.

I had snowshoed in steep terrain, including up and over the Cascade divide, in the southern Cascades, on a day hike basis many times. However, this experience was different, including kicking step into snow slopes on which an involuntary glissade is always imminent -- with a week-plus backpack on.