Wolf Creek Trail, Where Sh*t Happens

Memorial Day weekend is another one of those holidays you wish could be in the summer. Though at least it's better than President's Day, as there a few more backpacking possibilities available that don't include snow. I was madly scanning the May and early June trip reports on WTA (I finally became an official member, pat on back) but everything I found had rain in the forecast. No bueno. 

Finally a trail I had never heard of caught my attention. "Wildflowers out in FORCE" was the latest report, and the Sun/Mon forecast predicted no rain. Woo hoo, Sawtooth Wilderness, here we come!

This would be my first time backpacking with Lisa, who for reasons I'll explain later decided to drive herself. When Julie and I texted to let her know we were in Winthrop and she replied, "me too," I suggested we convoy up together to the trailhead. Knowing that shit happens - especially when cell phone service is spotty, I thought it might be a good idea. But she had the same link to the directions I had from the WTA site and it was less than a half hour away, so what could go wrong? Well...

The Fireweed will be out of this world in a couple weeks

Turns out her phone gave her the option of opening the map with Google Maps or Apple. Google (what we were using) gets you to Wolf Creek TH easy peasy. Apple brings you somewhere else entirely. Thankfully we had just enough cell coverage here and there (NOT at the trailhead, or anywhere on this trail, BTW) that things eventually got sorted. But my advice is to stick with Google for this one. 

Julie and I are not fast. And when the trail is going up and up, we're even slower. Therefore Lisa had been warned we may only make it to the camp that was described at being at 7.5 miles in. We all really wanted to see the grand finale "Gardner Meadows" at the 10 mile mark; thus we agreed if we stopped early, we would have to make an extra long second day with an up and back at the break of dawn before packing up and heading out on Monday. Lisa being the fast one agreed to wait for us at said camp so we could assess before pushing on.

Guess what. The so-called 7.5 mile camp is non existant. At least we could not find it...or Lisa. When she couldn't find it either and it was starting to rain (of course the 6% chance found us because I stubbornly refused to bring any rain gear) she sent a Garmin to Garmin message saying she was moving on...which for whatever reason we never got. Shit happens. 

Thanks for the poncho, Julie :)

Nevertheless, we kept struggling up the now disappearing trail (the 2021 Cedar Creek fire really took a toll and from this point on it is quite difficult to follow) while increasingly wondering if this whole trip might have been a bad idea. Eventually a message actually came through from Lisa saying she was already at the meadow! Whew...now to just get there too. 

I knew from watching my AllTrails preview that this is where we'd get the most serious elevation gain. (No more elevation denial for me!) I also knew Julie had not watched it, and was thick in denial mode. You can just see the meadow ahead...it looks so close...but it's not. Welcome to the "I am so over this!" last mile blues!

It will be a bit before the meadows are in bloom

Back on the first night of Julie and I's 2022 Boundary Trail adventure she told me a couple miles from our planned campsite that she was ready to call it a day. (Funny that it's actually called "Goodenough Peak") My reply to her was "but you are not crying yet." I don't think she thought it was funny, but the truth is I wasn't exactly kidding. 

In the chapter "Bona Fide Empty" of my book (I do apologize for the shameless plug) I speak about how discovering our elusive reserve of strength is the most inspiring part of hiking. It's shocking how deep it goes, but the price to find it is often tears. So even though I hated seeing Julie wiping her eyes on this miserable last mile to Gardner Meadow, I knew she'd find that strength; and she'd be glad to know it was there.

Speaking of strength, Lisa saw a bear while she was all alone, and found she wasn't all that scared. We talked about it while we were sitting around camp happily eating our meals together. A beautiful, peaceful experience after the shit storm - isn't that how it always goes? 

Sammy and Basil had a cozy night too ;)

After we past the bear area in the morning on our way out, it was time for Lisa to kick it into gear. This was the good reason to have her own car, she is SO much faster (two hours to be exact) and she needed to get home earlier than we did. A stop in Winthrop for a late lunch, plus a flat tire added to our adventure - so Lisa was extra lucky to have left us in the dust!

Left in the dust - literally!

But we made it over the pass, crappy spare tire and all. When shit happens, on or off trail, remember to just push through and it'll be okay. Happy "find your elusive strength" trails!

Three strong women...and a couple of sloths ;)

Loose End Tie Up on Catalina Island

I cook for preschoolers at an Early Learning Center. Once I had a retired doctor I met on trail comment, "Isn't that just cutting up carrots?" after I told him that is what I did for a living. So no, it's not a job that gets you very big bragging rights or money. But I enjoy it, and feel at home in a kitchen; especially when they let me put up pictures of my past hikes. 

There is a tiny Janet on the horizon

Though when I hung my Trans-Catalina hike canvas, I promised myself I HAD to finish it. (Original Story here ) While cutting up those carrots, I loved to look up at my friend Janet's tiny silhouette ahead on the trail, and every time I did, it was a reminder that we had to go back. And this past Mother's Day, that's exactly what we did!

Janet met my husband and I at the San Pedro Catalina Express ferry dock bright and early on Sunday morning. I had purchased the permits and airfare way back in January, and then panicked when I realized the ferry didn't run on Tuesdays- the day we had to get off the island to catch our plane rides back home! But thankfully, more routes are added in May, so our plans were saved.

Speaking of plans, they are a bit complicated with having a non-hiker along, so I'll give those details below with my trail log. But what a blessing that our original plans of thru hiking this trail fell through, because a second trip to Catalina Island is never a bad thing. 

Speaking of thru hiking fails, my Timberline Trail canvas hanging next to the sink is still making me feel guilty... but until then - happy "better later than never" trails!

TRAIL LOG

Day One: 7.6 miles/757 ft elevation gain. Ken and I flew into Orange County late on Saturday and stayed at The Guest Harbor Inn so we could easily get to the ferry in the morning. Janet's sister lives close by, so she stayed there. The boat stops at Avalon first, so that cut into our hiking time, but because the first day CCW miles were super easy, it was no big deal. We even had time to hike with Ken to his campsite at Two Harbors and help him settle in. "See you tomorrow... unless we get abducted by aliens!" we teased as we left. (Parsons Landing, our night's campsite, is known for it's UFO sightings. An underwater extraterrestrial station in the area is highly debated.) When Janet and I reached the spot where we knew we could cheat through Cherry Valley Summer Camp, we both agreed it was totally worth it since we went the long way around last time. "Who's going to yell at two old ladies on Mother's Day?" we surmised, though thankfully there was no one there to prove us wrong.

At Parsons Landing you need to either carry ALL your water, or pay for a locker where they deliver it for you - with gas for your stove and firewood too, if you choose to pay for those as well. I cheaped out on the wood, but because you can't fly with gas I bought that and the one gallon of water.  I was a little stressed I would lose our locker combination, or that the lock wouldn't work; but as we finally got the locker open what I ultimately stressed about was that there was no gas in there!  TWO gallons of water, and firewood...maybe somebody was drunk on the job? Oh well, at least we can make fire to boil our water for dinner - though maybe somebody has left behind their gas in the food storage boxes at each site? JACKPOT!!! 

Day Two: 7 miles/1900 ft elevation gain. All of the elevation gain is earned the first couple miles, so this is a push. The marine layer was lasting until the afternoon, so we took a very leisurely morning. Our timing was perfect, as the last of the clouds cleared just when we made the ridge. 

They give you this map when you get your locker combo at the dock

Janet saw him at the top

We ambled into Two Harbors just as the bar was closing...but thank God the outside bar was open until 4 pm because we had to order the famous Buffalo's Milk drink to celebrate! 

After putting up our tents with Ken at his campsite, we all walked back to town when the restaurant was open and stayed until it closed playing pool. A blazing fire for all of us back at camp rounded out a perfect day. (FYI, they deliver the wood to this campsite as well, which is a good thing because it's a good quarter mile from town. It will cost you $12 though.)

Day Three: Thank God for the added ferry that heads back to San Pedro at 11:45 am. We felt bad for the ladies who got distracted having one last round of Buffalo's Milk drinks while waiting for departure and ended up missing the boat. FYI, the boat will not turn around, no matter how much you wave your arms and yell. Uber drivers are plentiful in the San Pedro area, so getting back to the airport was easy peasy. 

And you know Sammy had to come too!

Making the Effort on Mount Si

Mount Si has never been on my list - except maybe my "not to do" list. It's known as the most popular trail in the state; I've even heard they have a shuttle from Seattle to the trail during the summer. I know I said I enjoyed the "communal feel" of Ancient Lakes on my last post...but I imagined Mount Si to be more of a "swarmed" vibe, especially on a Saturday.

A rare moment of no people!

But my friend, Heidi, is back to preparing for her Mount Rainer summit. Unfortunately her trip was canceled last season due to weather, so she's back at it this year. And Mount Si is training central. Two hours up is supposedly the litmus test to prove you are ready. So Julie and I both said we'd come with in solidarity; as long as Heidi didn't mind waiting for us on top.

On Friday Julie informed us there was quite a buzz about the missing zebra and maybe even a warning to stay away from trails in the area. Ummmm...missing zebra? I'm not much of a news watcher, but I knew something was up when I kept seeing memes of Bigfoot riding one. Turns out an actual escaped zebra had been eluding capture and roaming those neck of the woods for almost a week! But the last sighting was quite a ways away from Mount Si, so we figured we shouldn't be in any zebra corral-ers way by clamoring up the thing. 

Though the whole zebra hype did get me thinking it would be fun to play a little joke on Julie. I looked all through my grandkids toy box the night before, but no zebra. Not to worry - my husband improvised for me. "This is the stuff that makes hiking fun," he mused as he painstakingly drew on the stripes, God bless him. 

The hike up is a grind, as we knew it would be, and of course Heidi was was out sight five minutes after we started. At about a half mile before the summit, Julie wanted to take a rest, so I knew it was my chance. I hurried up to find Heidi (who had been waiting for over an hour) and told her my plan. "Get ready for my acting skills," I warned her as we waited for Julie to appear. 

This little video of me trying to sell that we had spotted the zebra proves that Julie wasn't really buying it - but it got a little chuckle; and a cute photo shoot for Sammy, so I say it was worth the effort.

FYI, I think it's also worth the trouble to scramble up a little ways from the lunch spot to the top of the rock pile - it's a better view. The true summit is the top of the Haystack which you can see from there; an effort we all decided tipped the "not worth it" scale. 

The four miles back down made all our old knees scream "WHY?" but a stop at Little Si Restaurant and Lounge's happy hour made us believe once again that doing Mount Si was worth the effort. But I'm sorry, not sorry to say that I will never be doing it again. Happy "a dumb joke is always fun" trails. 

"You mean I didn't really rescue a zebra?"...poor Sammy ;)

Ancient Lakes Expectations

To be honest, my expectations were quite low. "Ancient" in my mind equals worn out, decrepit, run-down...plus I knew these lakes were pretty much poisoned by agricultural run off. Basically I was imagining a big expanse of desert area with several large mud puddles. 

Julie and her new stuffie, "Basil"

But spring backpacking beggars can't be choosers - the list is short in Washington for getting out there in April. So when my buddies invited me to come along to Eastern Washington for our first backpack of the year, I was coming - low expectations and all. And the truth is, we really only need each other to have a good time. 

Knowing that we only needed to hike in a couple miles, we packed luxuries like chairs and a ukulele; plus lots of water since you can't even filter from those nasty lakes. Pulling into the packed parking lot, we knew we would have lots of company. It was a beautiful weekend, and we certainly aren't the only hiking beggars in this state who were desperate for their tent time fix. 

Right away I was taken in by the beauty. How could I have forgotten that an "expansive desert" has it's own appeal and a very unique charm. As we approached the first lake (which as you can see was gorgeous and nothing like a mud puddle) we started seeing the large groupings of campers - here, there, and everywhere!

But the cool thing was, because of this expansiveness, you could put your tent up pretty much anywhere you wanted. It reminded me a little of going to Shi Shi Beach. VERY different aesthetics of course, but the same sort of communal feel. 

They are a couple now, BTW. Expect babies soon! ;)

So even though we were there with probably over a hundred other people, we felt very snug and private on our little hilltop spot. Well, private until you had to pee; and snug until the wind picked up during the night. Although more lovely than I expected, the Ancient Lakes area does have it's downfalls. 

Sammy wanted a new ride ;)

And though my low expectations also included "too easy and no challenge," the extra miles we did up to the waterfall and then the next day around a loop that went up to the ridge line were anything but! Just difficult enough to feel a little thrilling (but not at all for kids, IMO) this trip was the perfect appetizer for what I hope is a hiking season with lots of miles that exceed all expectations. Happy "ancient can be a good thing" trails.

PS: We stopped at "Sage Hills" on our way home, and I have to say that hike really was a disappointment. It's good for the quick IG pic, but what you don't see is the power lines/adjacent neighborhood complete with incessantly barking dog/bikers whizzing by...we turned around after less than a half mile. If you have extra time, I think it would be better spent exploring the Wenatchee riverfront area. We ate a few blocks above it, at the McGlinn's Public House's adorable outdoor seating area, which I highly recommend. (Just not the crab cakes. Save your seafood orders for Western Washington!) 

It's pretty as long as you don't look behind you ;)

Lanham Lake Snowshoe

I suppose it's time to buy snowshoes...again. The used ones I bought a couple years ago weren't the best, and have recently broken beyond repair. Julie can't always loan me her extra set, though that plan has been working thus far!

Thanks, Julie!!

Anyway, we both confessed we were really struggling to be motivated to do another snowshoe, but we didn't want to disappoint Heidi. Snowshoeing is beautiful and all, but it is a different animal than hiking - a much more difficult animal. Three to four miles is pretty much max, and it's hard to want to drive up to the mountains if you are only going to do a handful of miles. 

But a search on WTA revealed a snowshoe I had never heard of that wasn't too bad of a drive. Just a few miles past Steven's Pass and you'll find the Nordic Center; a place none of us had ever been to. What a great place with a huge lot; though you will need your Northwest Forest Pass to park there. The building has bathrooms you can use, and you could even rent snowshoes if you don't have a friend like Julie. 

The man at the desk was very friendly and let us know exactly where the Lanham Creek Trail was (just look for the blue sign!) but that it was not an official part of the maintained trails system there. (Which you would need a special pass for - looks like a great place for cross country skiing if you're into that!) 

Good job, Sammy!

When it was all said and done, we were proud we had pushed ourselves, and really glad we hadn't picked anything over four miles. A stop at the newly renovated Bush House in Index was the perfect reward for our efforts. Happy "having fun until the snow melts" trails! (A few more "things to know" are below for those interested.) 

Really good food!

Things to know list:

1) According to AllTrails, Lanham Lake Trail is 3.3 miles with 1,177 ft elevation gain and takes an average time of 2 hours...best to expect to double that with snowshoes on.

2) This is not a heavily used trail, which means it may be hard to follow. There are ribbons on trees to help until you intersect with a service road.

3) Turn right on the road and follow up until you intersect with a groomed trail. Yes, I know you're not supposed to use these, but you'll need to for just about 600 feet. Then you'll veer off to the left; it's not terribly obvious, but you'll see this sign once you go in. 

You're on the right track!

Don't keep going on the groomed trail

4) You'll have a lovely section that is sort of flat and open, but then you will be heading up steeper and steeper and you might want to turn around if you are anything like us. But keep going; the lake is worth it. 

Easy

Not easy

5) Just because you see that others have gone out on the lake does not mean it's safe. I'm sure you already know that, but it doesn't hurt to say it again. Falling in the water up there would be a very bad idea.

Worth the push