I was hoping that by the time we reached the open areas near and on Cascade's summit, we'd have a lucky break with the clouds, but it was no go. We arrived at the first little open spot to complete whiteness. The rock, too, was completely coated in knobbly ice. The summit terrain would prove a little tricky in our snowshoes!

At the trail junction just below the summit, we donned several layers of winter clothing, knowing that the exposed open summit was just above us.

Above treeline there was a moderate wind, but nothing too strong. The open bedrock of the summit was coated in the same ice we encountered earlier, and we had to be extra positive with our snowshoes' toe crampons in order to climb the little scrambly bits on the way to the summit. Other than that, we enjoyed the arctic-like bleakness of the shrouded-in summit. It was like suddenly being on another world!