The Lost Hike and the Lost World (Chelan Butte Trail)

Fourteen months since I did this hike. Feels like a decade ago. Life before COVID feels like a world away, doesn’t it? Back when we could be with a big group – no masks, no fear, no worry. Well, that’s not really true. We always have a certain degree of fear and worry in life; but this new world feels like next level…like it's nothing but fear and worry. 

I don’t know why I didn’t write about this hike until now. Maybe because it felt so personal – not a hike, but a whole weekend girl’s extravaganza. Because it was! It was eating inside restaurants and cozying up in blankets to sip wine and laughing without a mask to hide your smile…it was all the things, with a hike thrown in. 

A shout out to Succession Winery. I hope they make it. (2025 update: they did! Check them out next time you're in Lake Chelan)

I suppose I’m writing about it now because I miss those things so much, like we all do. But I need to remind myself that even though the world feels so different now, the important things remain the same. There are certain things that will always endure.

Chelan Butte Trail has a round trip mileage of 7.6

With 2,631 feet of gain and zero shade. Do not attempt this in the summer!

Faith, hope, and love will get us through…I have to believe it’s true. And a good hike up a stinkin' steep hill to an amazing view can help too. Go and see for yourself, because despite the world feeling so different, the Chelan Butte trail is unchanged and thankfully still standing strong. May we all stand strong as well. Happy trails!

A mask in 2019? Hard to believe we used to wear them just to protect our face