September 22-25, 2025
The trip would have been a lot more fun if we hadn't just learned that our friend's brain had over a dozen lesions on it. The doctors didn't know if it was cancer, MS, or something else. They still don't. There wasn't a lot we could do about it, so we went to the mountains anyway, hoping for some perspective and maybe a little release. It came, but not in the way I was hoping.
Though the first day was clear and sunny, the second day brought in hazy conditions due to the wildfire north of the Little Beaver drainage west of Ross Lake in North Cascades National Park Service Complex. The smoke settled in the valley and permeated all of our activities for the next couple of days. It started to clear out on the last day, just in time to hike out.
The trail gains 4,470 feet over 4.7 miles from the boat dock (1,615 ft) to the summit (6,085 ft). The grade is consistently steep with minimal switchbacks.
Boat rental or water taxi service from Ross Lake Resort provides the most practical access. The Desolation Peak dock is located on the eastern shore, approximately 18 miles north of Colonial Creek, just past Cat Island.
Ross Lake Resort: (206) 386-4437 | Advanced reservations required
Resort Access: Via portage trail from Ross Dam parking area on Highway 20
The East Bank Trail from Highway 20 (Milepost 138) covers approximately 18 miles to the Desolation trailhead. This route requires 2-3 days with camping at designated sites along Ross Lake.
The Desolation Peak Lookout is a simple L-4 ground cabin built in 1932. When we summited, Jim Henterly was staffing the lookout. He gave us water—which we desperately needed after the smoke-choked climb—and he told stories about his years working fire lookouts in the North Cascades.
Small-world moment: his daughter works in the same field as one of my companions. He also does illustration work, and we shared that my other companion and I had written a children's book together, he was thoughtful and kind.
A few days after we returned home, the Seattle Times published an article about Jim and his work watching the changing patterns of wildfire seasons from these remote peaks. At the time we met him, he was just a generous stranger at the end of a hard climb, offering water and conversation.
Allow more time than expected. We're middle-aged, functionaly fit hikers and this trail pushed our limits. The climb took us four hours to summit, three hours down. The wildfire smoke made breathing harder and the effort more taxing.
The descent is harder than the ascent. Loose rock and steep grades demand attention. Don't underestimate the wear on knees and ankles coming down 4,470 feet.
Fill everything at the lake this time of year. We thought we had enough water. The smoke made us drink more than anticipated. We hoped to replenish our containers at mile 2, but it was dry.
Early starts matter. Once you're above treeline, there's no escape from sun or wind. We started late and felt it.
Smoke conditions change everything. What should have been a strenuous but manageable hike became something that required real determination. Check fire conditions before committing to the climb.
Jack Kerouac spent sixty-three days at Desolation Peak in the summer of 1956 as a fire lookout. He was 34, already the author of The Town and the City and the yet-unpublished On the Road. His journals from that summer became source material for Desolation Angels (1965) and portions of The Dharma Bums (1958).
As someone who loves literature and the Pacific Northwest, this was a pilgrimage I'd dreamed about for years. The Kerouac connection was a big draw—walking the same trail he walked, seeing the same lookout where he wrestled with solitude and enlightenment and the gap between philosophy and lived experience.
The L-4 ground cabin dates to 1932 and has been maintained ever since. Though technology has evolved, human eyes on remote peaks remain part of the wildfire detection network, particularly during extreme fire danger. Jim Henterly and other lookouts continue this tradition.