Call it a death march, call it a backcountry tour up Dirtyface Mountain over Lake Wenatchee. Same thing. But was it worth it? Absolutely.

I picked up Leavenworth local Ryan shortly after 9 am and we headed up, visions of soft powder turns dancing in our heads. Ryan had ridden Dirtyface just the day prior and vouched for the conditions and stability.

I hiked Dirtyface in mid-June with Hannah in 2018 and all I remember was the mosquitoes. During my 4-hour skin up to Dirtyface’s summit, there were no bugs, but plenty of demons. No more sitting on the couch in December. No more sugar. No more beer.

I took many breaks along the way, apologizing profusely to my touring companion. And then, I stopped for 15 minutes once we reached the final ridge before the summit for a hot lunch of Cup-O-Noodles. Super hit the spot.

I did make it to the top.

And then the turns. The sweet, sweet turns. In my head, I was following Travis Rice down any one of his lines in Dark Matter. I swear I even heard the soundtrack to Dark Matter playing, echoing off Lake Wenatchee below.

The descent back to the van was seemingly endless. And the powder was definitely bottomless. It was a fantastic way to spend a day.

Now, to let my blistered heels heal and start planning the next tour!