Switchback Peak and Unnamed Peak 8120

On July 29th we set out early from Seattle headed to an area of the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest east of Lake Chelan. With the field season in full swing, this was an especially exciting trip for us as we completed the 50th peak milestone and experienced our first backpacking of the season. After hiking in about 8 miles we shared a quiet campsite with a few marmots in a lush wetland area.

Huge white bark pines along the trail

Views around the campsite

The next day we set off for the 50th peak: Switchback Peak! We hiked south below Sawtooth Ridge, noticing a severe lack of switchbacks on the bootpath. On the peak we observed 59 species and made 44 collections. One exciting find was Salix cascadensis with both female and male catkins which we found only on a lower area of the northwestern slope of the peak. Other species of note were Rhododendron neoglandulosum, Micranthes spp., and Sibbaldia procumbens.

Salix cascadensis

Interns having lunch on Switchback

On July 31st we had a shorter hike up to Unnamed Peak 8120 on Sawtooth Ridge where we observed 53 species and made 37 collections. Some exciting firsts for the summer included Piptatheropsis exigua, Sedum lanceolatum, and Chamaenerion angustifolium. We also found many Antennaria species, more Rhododendron neoglandulosum, and even a small amount of Cysopteris.

Rhododendron neoglandulosum

This was a valuable trip as it expanded the range of the project’s collections in the North Cascades, filling a gap between other collections. This trip also provided insights into ranges of understudied alpine plants, an overarching goal of the project. For example, we collected Sedum rupicola on both peaks which has historically been thought of as a Central Cascades species. The only more northern collection of this species is on Mount Tiffany, from a 2022 50 Peaks trip.