Rainy Pass to Stevens Pass, 1979, page 10

Friday, Day 6
September 21, 1979
6:01 PM, Milk Creek

Clouds beginning to sneak around the corner

Oh, what a day! But first, let me fill you in on what happened last night. That was a voice I heard. A party of three guys came in and camped up above me.

And remember those clouds I mentioned earlier? I sat for near two hours absolutely spellbound, watching the clouds move into the Suiattle Valley. My Lord! I mean to tell you, it was incredible!

I spotted them (while I was conducting my business on the box toilet) just as they came around a hillside down below. I thought, 'What's this? A fire maybe?' No way – those were dense white clouds at about 2-3000 feet. They were below us, since we're at about 6000 feet. And it was just like watching a bathtub fill up. They just kept coming until they fill up the entire basin below. I took about 20 pictures of all this. (Which my poor friends are going to have to watch – ‘The history of a mountain storm, by Cascade Connie.’)

Clouds crowding into the Suiattle River Valley

As soon as they started creeping up the ridge towards me, I dashed up the hill to see if the boys had put their tent up yet. They were in the process and I warned them of what I'd seen below. They seemed skeptical when I told them I thought the chance of rain was pretty good, so I left them and went back to my own site where I dug out a shallow trough around my little tent.

Sun beginning to set as clouds settle in Suiattle River Valley

Well, it turns out the boys were right; it didn't rain. But it did get very cold, dropping to near freezing.

– Keep reading.