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 North Cascades Washington Adventure!

May 31 - June 13, 2017

This was one of the most rewarding and exciting trips we've taken in our long camping life together. Second perhaps only to the Olympic Peninsula, where we saw a bear for the first time. Now we've seen another! :D :D :D Both in Washington, maybe the third time will be a a charm and we'll live there one day. It was with a heavy heart I left this forest. I love it here so much, and tearing myself away from it gets harder and harder every time we see a tiny slice of it. For me, this place on the globe has everything I have ever wanted in life. It makes me feel peaceful, and stops my mind from chattering.

We had to find a simple campground for the first night (and between back country trips) so we could adjust to going from Brooklyn to a storybook forest. A couple of weeks before we left we were looking for the free dispersed camping sites in the area and came upon this campground - Mineral Park. It's about 30 minutes off the one highway that runs through the park, down a gravel road built on an old native american trading route. Cascade River Road runs along the river and that's where we saw the bear! It was built in the 1930's and we were the only ones there for all but 2 days, when there were 2 other people waaaaaay away from us. We wanted solitude and we certainly got it. It was magnificent. Looked like a giant prehistoric movie set.

River right below for water. We camped next to a river every night, and I am so appreciative of having the loud sound of water rushing to blot out the terrifying sounds of animals scurrying about right next to your tent in the middle of the night. I wasn't scared at all this trip :) A first for me.

The first evidence of a bear, right in our campground. HAHAHAHA!

Aaron got to try out the camping guitar he got for his birthday! A wonderful way to be in the forest.

Aaron got a pocket bellows - it folds up really small and is a wonder at starting fires and keeping them lit.
I can't believe we haven't had this simple tool all these years. Live and learn.

The next day started off as a disappointment, but quickly became the most exciting EVER! We drove further up the gravel road to a trailhead that ended up being blocked off because of snow (in June! Lots of snow still up high and in the eastern slopes...) We figured out another hike to go on, and as we were driving back down - A BEAR! It was right in the middle of the one-lane gravel road. We surprised each other and it ran to the side of the road into the forest. I was SO EXCITED and happy (obv) I broke into a full-on sob and cried my way down the mountain. I just love bears - and this one was adorable and round and not scary at all (especially from a car - HA!). I didn't get a good pic, but that highlighted blur is da bear. Bless it.

We did a short hike, listed in our hike book as "Easy-Moderate" but we were DYING. These hikes are so hard coz a) we're old New Yorkers who smoke and b) the mountains are so vertical it's difficult to make a trail that isn't a steady climb. It's called Pyramid Lake and the tough trek was completely worth it for the delightful and colorful small lake at the top with views of the snow covered peaks all around us.

You could finally see the lake between the branches :)

It's a beaut!

The next day was our first 2 night hike - East Bank trail. It wasn't the best hike I've ever been on, but there were plenty of delicious moments. Poor Aaron wasn't used to his heavy backpack yet and was in AGONY for the first couple of hours of this constant uphill hike. He was swinging his leg like a piece of meat and had the look of horror on his sweaty face. Then he adjusted the waist belt, and everything disappeared. He was SO HAPPY after that, he was practically running. Backpacks are HEAVY and built to balance the weight. A small adjustment can click it into shape. Glad he broke it in!

The map. Our camp is Roland Creek, about 7.5 miles.

Since we usually camp in September, it was so interesting to see the forest in a different, just-bloomed state. Unfurling ferns, smallish shrubs, decayed leaves stuck to giant new green leaves... just a little different.

We were SO TIRED after that hike and we finally got to the camp. But even though we could see it, we had to cross a damn creek to get to it. HA! Waaaa. I haven't done this before - walked knee deep in freezing rushing water with my pack loosened and my shoes tied around my neck. It was kinda neat. Especially when I knew a camp was just on the other side. I found a big dead tree to walk over on our way back coz fuck that shit. Too cold and fierce for me.

Our camp! 
It was great - perched above the creek, and surrounded by adorable mule deer!

View from the tent.

Dinner. Dehydrated food never tasted SO SATISFYING.

Aaron scouting a good place to hang the food in the bear bag.

Campfire (terrible instant) coffee in the morning.

So this was a first for us... Usually these camps are just a fire ring and a level space for a tent. Occasionally there will be an old outhouse. This was a wooden toilet in the middle of the forest. It was incredibly creepy, to say the least.

The unending task of gathering and filtering water.

Our tent from the creek.

The sound of the rushing creek echoing through this hollowed out tree was really cool.

The hiking book we had made passing mention of a spur trail near our camp that leads to the lake, so we spent the day checking it out.

It was THE view of the lake! We spent all day here. Didn't see one other person.
Snow covered mountains in every direction!

Meanwhile, back at camp... Jeez guys, can we get a sec to ourselves?

Those green bags are supposedly "Odor Proof" to protect against bears. Until they tear :(

I lit a stick on fire and drew stripes on the rocks with the charcoal tip. 
The things you do to pass the time...

The next day we hiked back to our beloved Mineral Park campsite... still the only ones there :)

The other 12 campsites were mysterious when empty.

Campground outhouse.

I continued my rock striping.

It was time for the halfway point of the trip to a motel for cleaning, non dehydrated food, and a soft bed. We took the 75 mile trek across the frozen mountains to the delightfully charming town of Winthrop. The drive was second to none - they just finished plowing a few weeks ago! The people in Winthrop were awesome, and I even met a waitress from Mexico and an ice cream vendor from Colombia who let me practice my spanish with them!

View from our hotel stairway.

Lenticular cloud formations! So rare, so happy to have witnessed them :)

Different brandings.

The next morning started off terribly, and ended up spectacularly. I checked the weather for the 2 night hike we were planning to start that day, and there was a "Severe Weather Alert" for the Olympic Peninsula and North Cascades parks. An unexpected cold front was coming down from Alaska, dropping temperatures down to highs in the low 40s and lows in the low 20s. We're good at camping, but we're not those campers. The idea of below freezing temps is not only unpleasant to us, but dangerous. We just couldn't take that kind of risk at the level we're at, you know? WTF are we?! We were SO BUMMED and found it so surprising because the temps have been in the 60s - 70s range and it seemed absurd to change so quickly. But before giving up, we went to the Ranger Station on the East slope and inquired with the ranger there. It turns out I was looking at an advisory for the snow-capped eastern slopes and the high Olympics. The temps where we wanted to hike (the west slopes) would be in the 60s - 70s.

YAYYYEEEEEE! We were so happy! And packed, and on our way to the next multi-day hike. Thunder Creek turned out to be the best hike we have ever taken EVER. I think day 2 of this hike is one of the happiest memories of my whole life. I'm so glad we checked with the ranger :)

First of all, as we started the trail, we saw a man in the distance with both his hands on a tree's trunk, bowing his head. A closer look revealed a native american man just standing there, touching the bark, eyes closed. As we approached, he looked up and said, smiling, "This is what we indians do to get rid of negative ions." and then mentioned how special trees are. A magical way to start a hike.

This rock was as big as a 2-3 storey buliding.

They grow 'em big out here.

Spider webs on the bark

This trail, though again considered "easy" was quite tough for us too. But mostly because it was about 80 degrees and we were SUPER overheated. When we finally reached the camp, it was TOTALLY worth it. Perched high above swift Thunder Creek (more like a river) it was so idyllic.

The mountain views changed so often because the rain comes and goes. This is a rare sunny view.

We began the day thinking it would be below freezing, and ended the day
with a fire too hot to have burning. I slept outside my sleeping bag!

Best bear bag hanger this side of Marblemount.

No bears stole our food.

View from the tent.

The next day, one of the most memorable and satisfying of my life, it rained continuously. No wind, warm temps, lots of thick tree cover to keep you from being too wet. We had plenty of rain-proof gear and nothing to do but stroll around this majestic forest. We did nothing, and had the time of our lives. I love it here.

When you're camping for a couple of days, you can only bring the essentials coz bags get HEAVY. If you can squeeze it, a small dessert for after dinner seems like a feast fit for a king. Here's Aaron about to enjoy his much anticipated chocolates before hoisting the wrappers up in the bear bag.

So here's an insane late-stage-capitalism moment. After this glorious day, we hunker down in the tent for the night. Aaron goes to get the stuff out of his pockets, and as he pulls out the PLB (Personal Locator Beacon, just in case of a dire emergency. Zaps your GPS coordinates to a satellite which alerts the authorities. They send out a helicopter.) When it comes out of his pocket, he realizes the shitty plastic strip that is supposed to be a guard to the button you press in case of dire emergency has come undone. The big red button, which when you press will send out a helicopter, was completely unguarded from being pressed. I can tell you this right now: I was more terrified of an emergency helicopter coming out to the forest to rescue us, tapping our life savings or more for nothing more than a device failure, than I was of getting ripped to shreds by a bear. That's some fucked up shit right there. So of course I had vivid imaginations of a copter coming, crashing, setting off a forest fire, you name it. But I kept reminding myself: there is nothing we can do. To create it in my head without it happening is making it happen. If it actually happens, I've made it happen twice. Wise advice hard to follow. After a few hours I was sure the button hadn't been pressed and our life savings would be intact if we secure the plastic guard with my ponytail holder. HAHAHAHAHA!

Morning on the hike back was rainy and delightful.

Pictures don't do this justice. It was as big as a building.

We stayed at Mineral Camp again that night, and took a hike to Stetattle Creek in the morning. It was our last day in the forest, and we had a long, long time to take this beautiful hike along the creek at a pace of about 25 feet every 10 minutes. HA! There is just so much to see and so little mind-chatter when I'm out here. I miss it already, and can't WAIT to come back here.

Marblemount locals checking their Facebook. HAHAHAHAHA!

I have been thinking about painting bears for years, but can't
really muster it. This mural was in the Seattle airport right by
our gate, and I thought it was awesome. A lion AND a bear!