Copper Ridge

After such a fitful night's rest, I was so happy to finally see a little light in the sky--morning had arrived at last! I wasn't even upset that it was starting to rain a little, as long as I could get out of that tent, all was good. (Plus Rick made me bring his good rain coat just in case, so I was set.)

I was on the trail by 8:00 and ready to make it to the lookout come hell or high water. My original plan was to head toward Whatcom pass and try to make it to the river cable car crossing before heading back, because that sounded super cool. When I told the ranger this (at Glacier) she tactfully let me know I was not going to make it--unless I was a trail runner or something. (Most definitely not.) So Copper Ridge it was--and I was glad I had an end goal, because that always helps me keep going.

The trail started out in the woods, and because of the rain it was dark and sort of spooky. Again, bears were on my mind-- I just didn't even want to see one because I knew I would be terrified, even though I doubt it would even give me much notice. I picked up a couple rocks and banged them together while walking, and it really helped me keep a pace and feel safe.

I would get glimpses of mountains every once in a while. I would always stop and take a picture, not knowing if I'd see anymore; what with the clouds and all. I enjoyed the mystical quality the clouds gave them...maybe even more than a blue sky backdrop.

The day just kept getting better and better, and the views grander and grander. I finally let my rocks go--it was all too amazing to think about bears.

Egg Lake. There are campsites here--how beautiful!

I ran into my first hikers when I was almost to the lookout. They were ending a 4 night loop. "Are you camping at Boundary?"...I know I sounded overly excited, but I really didn't want to spend another night by myself. Nope, they were headed to Hannegan. One of the guys said, "You should switch, there's a ranger at the lookout that can do that for you. We are so sick of talking to each other, it would be great to hang out with someone else. Party at Hannegan!" Oh my--I think I would have done just about anything to party with other humans...especially this group, because they were so friendly. But pack all my stuff up and head up and over the pass after a full day of hiking? Ugh, I just didn't think I had it in me.

I don't think the ranger thought I had it in me either, because when I asked, she offered to call to see if anyone else was going to be at Boundary. She told me two groups were coming in, so I knew I wouldn't be alone. I was still tempted a little to switch--I doubted anyone at Boundary was going to want to "party"; (and they didn't) but my sensible side won out. Trying to put up a tent in the dark is not my thing--I learned that the hard way.  

After talking with the ranger and asking a bunch of questions she's probably answered a thousand times, I finally got up the courage to ask if I could take my picture with her. Rangers are like the rockstars of the outdoors--that's how I see it anyway. She invited me to "tour" the lookout, and even offered me some freshly baked dumplings. I told her and the volunteer working with her about my blog and they said they'd try to look it up. So, if you ever find this--hello Lucy and Laura!!! You gals are awesome!

The trip back was uneventful, except that I ran out of water with 2 whole hours to go. Not good--I will not make that mistake again. Another lesson I learned is this: dehydration + nasty dehydrated mac and cheese dinner = extremely unhappy digestive system. Even though "backwoods" toilets scare the hell out of me, in this case I was happy that Boundary Camp provided one. TMI...sorry...I'll stop now. One more post for my final day and I'll be done. http://kellbell-whywouldanyonereadthis.blogspot.com/2012/10/last-day-hannegan-peak.html

A thin place in the trail that felt like a skinny bridge, with mountains on both sides. Pretty thrilling.

Day Two--Hannegan Pass

Hiking out of YAB on day two...not a cloud in the sky!

As lovely as the evening was, I can't say I slept very well. That's always to be expected, but the worst part was waking up in the middle of the night and realizing I had a pack of berry flavored gum in my pocket. We must have took 3 trips back to the bear bin to stash yet another item of food we forgot was out...I should have made one more, but I just couldn't bring myself to get up. I'm glad we weren't eaten by bears; that would have totally been my bad.

In the morning, we kept tying to get a hold of Ken to find out for sure if he was coming, and when he would be at the trail head. We were lucky to have service, but it was sketchy. Plus, Melissa's battery was almost dead--so every text needed to count. Finally we get a text from Ken--is he coming? Is he annoyed? "Good Morning". Not very helpful; but at least he didn't sound mad. There were other options other than him coming that day, because Melissa had her car. (Though, hitching a ride down to it might be problematic) We kept trying to let him know that, but the messages were not going through. Another text from Ken, "I'm on my way". Dang, we better get going! 

Ken beat us there by about 30 minutes; and said he spent the time looking around in the car for the key, and that he found it...in the ignition. I about passed out before he could tell me he was kidding. (He lives for that kind of thing) I had to forgive him though--he was our knight afterall. I was really thankful that this rescue mission worked into his schedule and wasn't too much of an inconvenience. Lots of "thank yous" and hugs goodbye to both, and it was time to head to Hannegan!

The forest road up to Hannegan is like a freeway compared to the one to Yellow Aster, and the parking lot is huge and the Port-O-Potty is top notch. This was going to be a cake walk! I was glad, because I already had 3.5 miles for the day getting down from YAB.

The valley view heading into Hannegan...most of the trail in the sun

I think this was the hottest day of September--it felt like the hottest day of all time. I know I shouldn't complain about it being too hot...it's so annoying when people from Washington do that, because it's never too hot here. But, I really felt like my head was going to explode. Suddenly the trail started making turns; I looked at my green trails map and saw switchbacks ...just a few, and then the top of the pass. I must be at the start of the switchbacks; so I'm almost there! Thank God, because I was so tired! I saw my first hiker, and excitedly asked, "How far to the pass?". He looked at me like I was nuts, and curtly replied, "A long way". I realize now I was just two miles in, and these switchbacks I was so exited about don't even register on the map because there are only two. So indeed, I had barely gotten started. I'm glad he set me straight though, because I understood at that point this was not going to be a cake walk, and I had better get my game on. I'm so glad Melissa insisted I bring my iPod, because it really helped.   

When I thought I must be getting close to the real switchbacks, I got up the courage to ask a cute couple coming down. Before I could say anything though, she immediately asked me if I wanted some water. (Not only did my head feel like it was going to explode, it must have looked like it too.) When I asked how far to Boundary Camp (where I had my pass to camp--and the ranger let me know I could not change my mind) they were very encouraging. "Oh, you only have about a mile of switchbacks to get to the pass, then just another mile to the camp." A MILE OF SWITCHBACKS?! I must have looked like I was going to cry, because he gently said, "Maybe it's not a mile". (It was exactly a mile--I clocked it on my iPod on the way down...something I should have been doing the whole time to avoid all this grief.) Did I say how very tiny these switchbacks look on the map? I think it's showing the very last of them that go up a field, but trust me--it's steady uphill way before that.

At last I came to the beautiful sign that let me know I was done with the stupid switchbacks, and I little farther...

Just one mile to go...maybe I won't die afterall

the sign showing the way to Boundary Camp. (You can't see the arrow, but man was I thankful for it. There is another trail going the opposite way, and I probably would have taken it.)

I saw more switchbacks on the map, and panicked for a minute...until I realized they were going down. I honestly just about skipped down them--and I was quite literally singing out loud. And then I was down in the valley, and something changed. It's hard to explain, it just felt ominous to me. Suddenly I felt very alone and vulnerable and exposed. I got to the camp and put my food in the locker. (I'm so thankful that the ranger told me about that so I didn't have to pack in the bear bin.) The fact they have a bear locker though got me thinking quite a lot about bears. My logical mind kept trying to tell me how very rare a bear attack is (average of only 1 fatal bear attack per year in the states vs 55 from lightning strikes)...but my freaked out mind was just not listening. I was in that tent at 6:30 and let me tell you, it was a long night.

The worst was waking up with such alertness that I was SURE it had to be close to morning...like 4:30 at the earliest. I always fail the "don't look at the clock" game, and I'm always sorry I played. (The worst was my first night alone backpacking--with no tent--but that's another story.) Guess what time it was? 12:55. Yes, it was a very long night, for sure. But of course, morning would have to come eventually, and I had the whole day to do Copper Ridge. It proved itself to be worth the wait. (again, stay tuned :)) http://kellbell-whywouldanyonereadthis.blogspot.com/2012/10/copper-ridge_4.html

I'm Up to Three Nights!

For anyone who doesn't really understand my plan for hiking the Appalachian Trail (or the AT in hiker speak), I'll start by giving a brief summary. (For the long version you can go to the "Explaining My Theme" post in September 2010)
I plan on celebrating my mid life crisis of turning 50 by heading to the east coast trail for 50 days. (6 years from now) When I came up with this idea, I had never backpacked in my life; so I thought I should start with one night, then the next year do two, and so on until the year I turned 50. That would put me at 8 nights, which I figured was a long enough time to prepare me for the AT. I'm revising my plan, and deciding that next year I'll do both my 4 and my 5 night hikes. Why? Because then my age will correspond with my nights, which makes me happy for some reason. (6 nights at 46...7 nights at 47) Also, then I will have 9 nights at 49 to do the Wonderland Trail--the grand finale. (If I can do 93 miles in 9 days, then I will be on par with 10 miles a day, and prepared for the 500 miles in 50 days.) That wasn't very brief was it? Sorry.

Should anyone be so excited about fall berries?

Fun Dr. Seuss flowers

I had a terrible time deciding what to do for my 3 night hike this year. Part of me wanted to be all hard core and do it alone, covering as much distance as possible. But anyone who knows me knows I'm not really the hard core type...I'm more the "is there an easier way to do this?" type. Melissa said she could do one night with me, so the itinerary that finally developed was this: hike Yellow Aster Butte with Mel the first night, then drive a little way to the Hannegan Pass trail-head and hike in that area for a couple nights by myself.

Melissa about to cross the glacier

After quite a bit of farting around stopping for gas, stopping at the ranger station to get the bear bin, driving past the forest road to the trail-head (it's literally in the parking lot of the snow maintenance sheds, not past it as described in the "100 Classic Hikes" book) figuring out what to do with Melissa's car because it bottomed out trying to go up the road (good thing I was driving my SUV) we finally made it to the trail head around 12:30. I was so anxious to get going I could barely eat my lunch. I absentmindedly took the car key off the chain and put it in my pocket. (Trying to save pack weight? Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking) A few minutes later I realized my pocket wasn't the best place, but it was already too late...it was gone.

Mt. Shukson?

Melissa assured me it couldn't have just disappeared; but I knew better. I'm quite good at making things disappear. We looked EVERYWHERE--for over an hour. I was in full blown red zone panic mode--tears and everything. Why? It's just a key for heaven's sake. But it's having to call my husband and have him come to the rescue--again--when all I want to do is show him (and myself) I'm a strong, capable woman...not some idiot who loses her key before we even leave the car.

I'm saying, "Just shoot me"...still trying to get over losing the key

A very sweet couple came over and offered to help. After telling them our sob story, the man replied, "Well, we keep an extra key hidden under our car. Only problem is, we can't remember where we hid it". I really wanted to hug him.

We didn't get going until almost two...so much for thinking we could squeeze in Tomyhoi Peak after setting up camp. But it didn't take long before the beautiful day and breathtaking views made us put everything behind us and just take it all in. 

My first time filtering water. I'm pro now!

 

Almost matching coats...sorry to be a copycat Mel!

I think we made it to the tarns (hiker speak for small lakes) around 5:00. It was actually nice not to have to worry about hiking anymore--to just set up camp and enjoy the evening. We had the whole place to ourselves! In spite of everything, it turned out to be just about the most perfect day imaginable. Tomorrow's a new day, so I could wait until then to worry about what kind of mood Ken would be in after wasting 4 hours of his day bringing me a key. To be continued...
http://kellbell-whywouldanyonereadthis.blogspot.com/2012/10/day-two-hannegan-pass.html

Mount Pilchuck and the Masses

People...

People...

 

...and more people

Let me just start with hiking lesson #21…if the hike you are thinking about doing is described as one of the most popular in Washington and cheerfully warns to “expect company and enjoy the camaraderie”, you may not want to pick the last Saturday of the summer to do it. And especially don’t take anyone who hates crowds. (like my husband…I thought Disney World was going to kill him)

Ken's arm is just long enough to get the sign in

Issac was kind enough to pull up the rear with me

But how can you not want to sneak a hike in on the last weekend of the summer, especially when it’s a perfectly glorious 70ish day? Ken couldn’t resist, even with all the work he knew he should be doing. Our friends were also looking for any excuse to be out in the sun. I called them LAST minute (leaving in an hour) just to ask if they knew how long it would take to get to Pilchuck. I didn’t think there was any chance they could swing going on such short notice, but as soon as Melissa asked, “Hey Rick, how far is it to Mount Pilchuck?”, I heard him answer, “Can I come?” 

I was thrilled to have a group to go with me—the more the merrier, right? Well…I have to say that expression has a saturation point. It’s merry until you drive into the parking lot and see at least 50 other cars. Apparently half the state of Washington was also looking for an excuse to leave their chores behind. 

I cut Melissa out of the picture because she had "chewing face"--sorry Mel

Melissa and Ken (the long legs, as me and Rick would call them) would get way ahead, only to be stalled by another group of slow pokes. Melissa finally asked, "Can't we just scramble up another way?", to which me and Rick (Rick and I? English is a stupid language ;)) quickly scolded, "Now, what would happen if everyone did that?" Not 10 minutes later, both Rick and I (is that better?) took a little side path around some people (trying to catch up to the long legs, of course) and got chewed out by another hiker. (well, I got chewed out--Rick conveniently disappeared) It really sucks getting busted for something you just told someone else not to do...but that's what you get for not following your own rules. (remember lesson #5, "no matter how tempting, stay on the trail"?...oops)

It does not look like they are on the trail!  Naughty, naughty!

Rick always wanted his own throne

When we finally got to the lookout tower, it reminded me of a bee hive. Ken was definitely not "enjoying the camaraderie"...I'm glad I couldn't read his mind, even though I know what he was thinking. But the fact is, regardless of how annoyed we are at the masses, we have to realise we are part of the masses. When I pointed out this bit of zen wisdom to Rick, he jokingly responded, "Yeah...but don't they know who we are?" And though he was kidding, that is sort of the heart of the problem, isn't it?--Deep inside thinking we are better than others. I know that's an attitude I always have to keep in check.    


Is this staying on the trail?

Monkey see, monkey do

And so, if you decide to visit the "Social Mountain", (as the WTA describes it) be sure to have your 'zen' on, remember we are all created equal, and get your butt in line.

Three Fingers

Happy to be part of the masses!

Craft Island

I confessed on my Skagit Bay Estuary post that until recently, Fir Island just wasn't on my map.  It's embarrassing to live your whole life in one area, and still be so clueless--but there you have it.  Sweet Sassy Pants (a new "follower"...so exciting!) was kind enough to let me know of another treasure off Fir Island--Craft Island.  There are so many little islands around here!  I can name about half of the San Juan Islands, but that's about as far as my memory will serve me.  Don't even ask me a mountain name; Baker and Rainer, that's all I got.  I'm trying really hard not to be such an idiot...Three Fingers, White Horse and Pilchuck...see, I remembered!  These are the mountains we could see from our quaint little spot on Craft Island, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

You can't see them, but the mountains are that way

I bought my husband a skim board for his birthday because I heard this is a place you can actually use one. (Northwest beaches are not known for sandy shores; they are known for rocks and logs) When we had our good friends over for a birthday dinner, a plan was devised to head out to Craft Island and try it out on the next Sunday afternoon.  I had to nine-to-five it that day, so it was decided that Ken would go with them, and I would swing by on my way home from work. 

Skim boards shining in the sun

The coolest part is that our friends live close enough to Craft island that they could just jump on their jet skis and get there that way...the closest thing we'll ever have to being 'jet setters'. It was an amazingly beautiful, hot, and cloudless day; so it didn't matter that I would be getting there late--or that I had to go the muddy trial route.

I hesitate even calling this a 'hike'...it's more of a path to make it to the water.  But, you still have to use your legs, right?  If you decide to go there, I suggest better footwear than slip on fashion sneakers.

Mystery Island

By the time I got to the river/bay (it's right where the two come together), the tide had come in...so no skim boarding for me.  I enjoyed just watching the kids swim, and looking at the breathtaking views. (this is when I asked what the mountain names were, and the other island to the right...but I've already forgotten that)

See the jet skis?

What a wonderful way to end the day...even if it meant wreaking my work shoes. :)

Heading back...not everyone can be a jet setter!

Subject to surveillance? Sounds like they have hidden cameras or something