Lost Lake, Packwood Lake, Home

 



We tried again to reduce the time it took to break camp in the morning without success.  And, once again, we decided to skip breakfast in lieu of granola and trail mix.  This morning however, we took the time for a warm drink before beginning the descent to Packwood Lake and the trailhead.

 

This is Beaver Bill Creek.  We stayed at Beaver Bill Creek on our first night, but it was much further down the mountain and much bigger.  This little creek was beautiful--it meandered back and forth with wildflowers in between.  I really need a better camera!  It's on the list.

Hiking was fast this morning as the trail was almost entirely downhill.  We stopped at Packwood Lake for breakfast and were treated to the antics of two groups of otters in the lake.

From the lake, we retraced our route from Monday in the opposite direction to the trailhead.  We met a couple whose son had hiked the PCT in 2011.  We enjoyed visiting with them and hearing about their PCT adventure from the previous year.

While you're always anxious to see the car at the end of the hike, we were in no hurry for this trip to end.  We took the time to cook one more meal at the trailhead and enjoy the peacefulness of the wilderness and the view of Rainier while we ate lunch.  We repeated a favorite meal of beans, rice, fritos, cheese and taco sauce.  We pulled the 2 cans of soda out of the glove box that my sister had sent with us.  Mmmmmm...good.

Dad's feet held up and my equipment test was a success.  Granted, we had perfect weather so there wasn't a chance to test rain gear.  That will have to wait for another trip.  I enjoyed the hike immensely and getting to share it with my Dad made it even better.

Packwood Saddle to Lost Lake

I had been a little cool the first night, so decided to close up the front of my tent the second night.  Big mistake when I learned in the morning that the stars had been pretty impressive that night.

We tried to break camp a little quicker this morning, but it still took us about an hour.  We didn't even fix breakfast!  Our plan was to hike a bit and then stop for food.  We were enjoying Mom's trail mix and grabbed a few handfuls before beginning the climb up and around Chimney Rock.  The trail came very close to the ridge and we decided to stop here and refuel.

This part of the trail had some more climbing, and was rockier than what we'd experienced the day before.  There were some stream crossings that thankfully had no water in them.  They were steep and rocky--exciting enough without the added challenge of rushing water!

As the trail wound around Chimney Rock, I decided to try again to get a text out to family to let them know we were doing well.  I had tried at Packwood Saddle and the PCT junction with no luck.  This time I finally had success.  It felt great to connect with them even if it was only a one-sided text message.  Another high point.

Once we rounded Chimney Rock, the trail began its descent.  We saw pikas for the first time--small animals from the rodent family that live in the rocks.  We were also treated to a view of Mt Rainier and stopped for the photo op and a snack.

I told Dad he would never see a picture of me sitting on a ledge with my legs hanging off.  This rock was as close as I was going to get.  Mt Rainier looks tiny in these pictures.  It was more impressive in person.

Lost Lake was just half a mile off our trail and the gal who sold us our parking pass said the view was glorious so we decided to make it our destination for our third night on the trail.  She obviously hadn't seen the view from the PCT junction or Chimney Rocks because this paled in comparison.  Still, a nice place to make camp.  Once again, we had the place to ourselves.  It felt great to wade in the cold water and rinse the trail dust off our bodies.  There were fish jumping in the lake.  We took a walk around part of the lake and found a stream where we filled up our water bottles.

Learning my lesson from the night before, I kept the vestibule at the front of my tent open so I could see the stars through the netting.  I had a bad angle, so got out of my tent at one point to look up at the sky.  I stood at the front of my tent for a minute or so to take in the view and then crawled back into bed.  At some point I was awakened by what sounded like a small animal brushing the sides of my tent.  I flicked my hand on the side of the tent to encourage the animal to move on.  It was relentless (there's that word again!) and would not leave the tent alone.  Several minutes later I realized that the animal making the noise was INSIDE the tent!  Dad came to the rescue with a light and we got the mouse out of the tent.  As I'm sure you can imagine, it was a little tough to sleep after that!  There were no holes in the tent, so we determined he must have come inside when I stepped out to see the stars.

Unrelenting

We broke camp the morning of Day 2 and hiked a little while before stopping for a warm breakfast of oatmeal with peaches & raspberries and vanilla caramel lattes (yum!).  We knew we had a big climb ahead of us.  At the side of a rocky creek we had a beautiful view of Johnson Peak (elevation 7487).  Dad pointed out a spot high on the mountain that looked like a trail and joked that was where our trail went.  I bought into it for a minute until I realized that our trail stayed on the other side of the creek.  Little did I know that by the end of the day I'd be looking across the valley at a spot very high on Johnson Peak.  Probably best I didn't know that at the time!

The guidebook mentioned a 2.6-mile unrelenting climb to Packwood Saddle.  "Unrelenting" became the word of the day as we realized the review in the book was very accurate.  Add in a little altitude and it was a tough day.  We met another hiker coming down the trail whose girlfriend was just a few days away from finishing the PCT.  Enjoyed visiting with him...and the break from hiking!

Due to the late arrival of fall, there were still some wildflowers left at Packwood Saddle.


Lunch was whole wheat tortillas with peanut butter and dried bananas.  There was plenty of time left in the day so we decided to hike the 1.2-mile trail to the junction with the PCT.  The trail looks innocent enough, right???  In reality, this trail gave new meaning to our word of the day.  There was a 1,200 foot elevation gain in the 1.2 miles.  Crazy.  It was all forgotten however when we saw the trail sign for the PCT.

This is Dad at the trail marker for the junction with the PCT.  So exciting!  I believe the camera is pointing to the NE.  Yes, that's snow!  We were anything but cold though.  It was another beautiful day and we were warm from the hike.

This is a more northerly view of the snow and the hills in the distance.  There are fires burning all over Washington which I'm guessing is the reason for the haze in the sky.

Here I am at the same trail marker.  This was definitely a high point of the hike so far.  That's Johnson Peak in the background.  I wish I would have taken a picture of the mountains behind me and to the left.  It was such a beautiful view.  We stayed here for awhile enjoying the scenery and our accomplishment, and then began the descent back to Packwood Saddle where we planned on making camp for the night.  We were most of the way down when we regretted not leaving a bag of Mom's amazing trail mix on the sign for any PCT hikers who may be coming through needing a little "trail magic".

Packwood Loop Trail, Washington

 

After some discussion, Dad & I settled on a route to hike in Washington.  Rainier was too far, Adams had fires, and my bro-in-law had a trail book on the Goat Rocks Wilderness.  Truth be told, I think he had books on a lot of areas, but this is the one he pulled out to share.  He hadn't hiked Goat Rocks before, so I think he wanted a review.  No problem, because it worked out great for us.

 

We had 4 days to hike.  We probably could have chosen a longer route, but the 26.2-mile Packwood Loop Trail kept rising to the top of the list.  It was a test trip afterall--testing my equipment and Dad's feet.  Our intent wasn't to walk to exhaustion every day.

 

Monday morning we packed up and headed to the trailhead.  It was about a 2-1/2 hour drive and paved all the way.  We got our shoes on, made sure we locked the truck, got our packs on and adjusted, etc.  This took longer than it should have because we hadn't done it in awhile.  We were also trying trekking poles for the first time, so this added another item to adjust.  We walked across the parking lot to the trail, and read on one of the signs there that a parking pass was required.  We briefly considered taking a chance at a ticket and fee, but after calling for more information decided to drive the 6-7 miles back to the town of Packwood for a parking pass.  An hour and a half later we were back at the start of the trail with a parking pass in the truck and ready to begin hiking.

 

 

 

The first 4-1/2 miles to Packwood Lake were mostly level.  We passed a little stream flowing down from the hill to the side of the trail.  My water bottle wasn't full when I started hiking so I took this opportunity to fill it up.  First water stop and I didn't filter.

 

Packwood Lake is big, and there's a little tree-covered island in it.  We hiked along the lake (1.7 miles of it) and then to Beaver Bill Creek where we decided to make camp for the night.  The campsight was tree-covered and there was the sound of the creek all night long.  Before bed we had some hot Tang, a Classen family hiking tradition.  First day was a success.

 



All My Bags Are Packed...

...I'm ready to go!!!  I leave in the morning for 10 days in the Pacific Northwest with my family and some hiking with my Dad :)  We don't know yet where we're hiking.  We've tossed all sorts of ideas around--part of the Wonderland Trail around Rainier, part of the trail-around-the-mountain at Mt Adams, part of the PCT, Eagle Creek???  To make things more interesting, there's a fire burning near Mt Adams which may eliminate that option which was probably our first choice.

The following is what 4 days of food for 2 people looks like.  I've since consolidated it a bit.  It looks awfully brown.  Part of that is my camera.  Today they announced the new iphone5.  Hopefully there will be one in my future.  I could use a new phone AND camera, so it's a no-brainer, right?

I've got 3rd batch of granola in the oven.  I'm making a 2nd batch of my favorite Pumpkin Granola to bring to my sister.  Mmmmm...smells so good!

There's a Tent in my Front Yard!

The boys are not very impressed with my tent...and I think even less so that I pitched it in the front yard where people could SEE it!  Tom probably shares their sentiments, however, he has got to be impressed that I bought such an inexpensive home :)

The weatherman's predictions for the morning were right on.  It was cool enough that being outside wasn't miserable.  I set up the tent for the first time.  It's pretty easy and with practice I'll get quicker and better.  I sealed the seams which wasn't too bad of a project.  This is necessary because water can find its way through the needle holes in the seams.  A thinned silicone is painted on the seams and then wiped off to seal them from rain.  I also put a couple stripes on the floor of the tent to keep my sleeping pad from sliding around in there.  The tent is really quite spacious for a 1-man tent.

One week from tonight I will be sleeping in this tent for the first time!  I thought about sleeping there tonight, but I'm sure my son would just DIE from embarrassment.  On second thought... :)

Getting Ready

I received the last shipment of ordered gear today.  It was my sleeping pad.  I got a great deal on an "irregular" ThermaRest NeoAir XLite pad at www.campmor.com.  Of course I had to immediately blow it up and try it out :)  My initial impression is favorable.

 

This picture shows most of my collection of stuff.  The pile at the top is all clothing.  After this picture, I stuffed it all in a stuff sack to see how small it could get.  On the left is cooking/drinking stuff.  Rolled up in the middle is my tent, pad, and ground sheet.  To the right is my umbrella and trekking poles.  Everything is so new and clean.  I will be borrowing my sister's sleeping bag and probably a few other little things for the hike in Oregon/Washington.  I'm keeping a list of what I need because rumor has it we will be driving right by an REI on Saturday.

Preliminary weather reports are great for Portland.  Highs of 80, lows around 50, and 0% chance of rain.  I wonder how long that can last in September in the Northwest?

 

The Postman Delivers...Twice!

Fun-filled mailbox today.  I wonder if the postman has any idea how much joy he gives?  Today there were 2 packages in the mailbox:  my "cozy" from www.trailcooking.com and a hipbag and ground sheet (for under the tent) from www.gossamergear.com.  First the cozy...

I could have easily made one of these, but the simplicity and speed of a couple clicks on the computer was hard to resist.  I also ordered my cookbook from these folks.  Unfortunately, I have crossed out the recipes in about half the book because I discovered I cannot tolerate the smell/taste of powdered milk.  Yes, even the whole milk version.  Oh well, the book is still well worth it.  I've come up with a couple recipes of my own from the inspiration in the book.  The cozy will hold the bags of food and hot water while they "cook" in the insulated cozy.  The cozy is about 8" x 8-1/2".  On top of it are two bags ready for the trip--minestrone and overnight orange oats.

I think I've mentioned that I'm disappointed in the hipbelt pockets on my pack.  They are only partially accessible because of the wrap around frame and shoulder straps cutting across them.  I plan on putting this hipbag on before my backpack, with the pouch in front for stuff I may want while hiking so that I don't have to stop and dig it out of my pack...camera, blistex, snack...  I'm real pleased with its size:  9-1/2 x 6-1/2 x 2" at the bottom.  How thoughtful of them to print a little "g" on the top left corner for me :)  Thanks, gossamer gear...haha.  The ground sheet is tiny!  And, there are TWO in the package!  It's about 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" and not very thick.  Each sheet weighs just 1.6 oz and protects the bottom of my tent from punctures and wetness.

Back in the Saddle

Well, not exactly a saddle, but back in the hiking boots!  I've had a few days off while I recover from the antibiotics which are helping me recover from the tick bite.  I haven't enjoyed this process, but I'm on the downward side--I think only 2 more days of medication after today.

Walked a little over 4 with the dogs this morning.  And, I added another 10# bag of flour to my backpack, so it was an unofficial 25#.  The dogs don't exactly help with the walk...but they enjoy it so much I can't leave them home.  After Bella gets tired slows down a little, I tie their leashes to the hip belt straps.  Makes it easier on all of us...until the day that Bella sees a squirrel and then things could get interesting!

I picked up my camp shoes over the weekend :)  Nice and bright so I don't lose them.  They're even brighter in person.  That reminds me...I need to shop for a camera!

The weatherman has assured me that we are expecting a cold front this weekend which will bring temperatures from 80/100 down to high-60s/90 with some drier air to follow.  The "cold" is only supposed to last a couple days.  Hey, I'll take it when I can get it.  Besides, I just need one cool morning to seal the seams on my tent.

I learned this morning about making fire starters and fire straws.  Very cool.  I also prepped a lot of meals for my upcoming hike in the Pacific Northwest.

Hiker's Kitchen

The mailman delivered my PCT kitchen today.  I was expecting small and I'm still shocked at just how small it is.  And light! The picture is deceiving--the box is barely over 4" square.

It's a titanium alcohol stove and it heats silently with readily available alcohol.  The pot holds 2 cups of water.  All the parts fit into the pot for protection and easy packing.  The pot has a ridge at the bottom to stay securely on the stand.  It's just an engineering marvel :)

Now, if only it would bake cookies...

Spots!

So, a couple weeks ago I'm sitting on the couch minding my own business and I feel something like an ant or small spider on my side.  Of course I take a peek and make sure I don't have a bug on me.  Nothing there.  I feel it again a few minutes later.  Check again and wonder what could be tickling me...maybe a hair or string?  That night I find the source...a tick!  Ewwww.  Tom got it out, head and all.  We flushed it and went to bed, not thinking any more about it.

The next morning I could feel the spot of the bite, and every day it seemed to get a little more raised and red.  Of course I checked online for symptoms of a tick bite.  I learned that an indicator of Lyme Disease is a red bullseye at the spot of the bite.  So, every day I checked for this.  The spot wasn't healing, but at least there was no bullseye!

Tuesday my hips got very achy--kinda like I had the flu, but not quite.  Couldn't figure it out.  By Wednesday afternoon, my hips were still achy, I had a fever, my thighs were numb, I had a headache, my tongue felt swollen, I had some accelerated breathing...and then there were spots!  I was getting red spots!  Back to the computer...Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever?  I called the insurance company and they suggested a trip to the ER.  Wonderful.  Just the way I wanted to spend the next 4 hrs of my life.

Blood tests but no definitive answers yet.  I was sent home with prescriptions for 2 antibiotics.  So pleased that within 24 hours I was feeling much better.  Whew!  I was afraid the September hike was going to be in jeopardy.

My best advice?  Stay away from ticks...and hospitals!