It started a few weeks back. I have wanted to get in a long walk and do some remote country backpacking. I have been looking at walks on one of my favorite websites for such resources for some time. Fawn and Atreyu just aren't as down to spend hours and hours strolling in the woods with a few extra pounds as I am. A few friends had gone back and forth if they wanted/could go but in the end no one did, soooooo SOLO!!
The trip in question is the Bonnie Butte via hidden meadows. I was planning to follow the itinerary provided on Oregonhikers.org. I was hoping to leave the house by 8 am so I could be on the trail by 10. Again.....well laid plans and all.....
I don't get on the road until 10. Fawn and Atreyu waver on whether they are up to a backpacking trip or not. I had made secondary plans with a shorter walk just in the all too likely case they did want to go. But in the end, I do go on the solo trip if only a little later than I expected.
On the way up to the mountain, I stop in Rhododendron for a couple of beers for at camp and a snack on the way. I get a turkey and cheese sandwich, I don't want to be hungry starting out on the trail, and a few more snacks for camp, just in case.
Managed to finally get to the trial by noon and get all ready to get walking. The trailhead is not marked. I found it just by the GPS coordinates from the trail guide.
My pack is a little heavy moving out, but I'm not too worried as I'm not going too far. I won't
give
you the turn by turn on the trail since the guide is pretty in depth and accurate. I will say a few things about how I felt about it. The very first thing I notice is that there is bear poop just right off the trail as I start, then coyote poop, then more scat and more and more. There was so
much sign of predators in the area I actually stopped taking pictures of it. I find the trail pretty easy to follow for the most part, even though I did think I got lost for a little while, but obviously did not. There is a section where the first leg in meets up to the start of the loop
and I had a hard time finding the trail crossing, I walked past it several times before finding it. I did realize that I need to work on my navigation skills as I thought I was following the map on the western side not realizing I was actually walking up the eastern side of the loop.....
Where I actually do end up deviating from the trail description is when I get to the meadow.I was supposed to turn left at the meadow and go around the western edge, but I saw the signs leading to the campground and simply followed them. Not totally sure but I feel like this was a bit shorter and probably a little more pleasant of a walk, as the other way went on that bumpy road for a bit, but I did end up missing the view of Hidden Meadow. But I'm ok with the trade of seeing Bonnie Meadow a second time.
The meadow was beautiful. I really lucked out as I was there when at least 6 or 7 species of flowers were in full bloom. The photos I took don't even come close to show the sea of color resting on a carpet of green that was so quiet and peaceful. I could see just sitting there and letting whole days go by in quiet contemplating contentment. Just feeling the sun on your face. Listening to the bees and other insects flying all around and smelling the fresh crisp clean air.
Getting to the campground I run into the only people I would see the whole time on my trip. A couple with a dog on a big day walk. I take a minute to chat and we confer on where we all are on the map they are carrying before going our own separate ways. The campground was small, a few sites and a pit toilet. The road in was beat and worn, not maintained and full of giant pot holes. The sites each had a fire ring and a table and plenty of space to pitch camp. There was plentiful wood about if you were inclined to gather some rather than bringing it with you. I do recommend this camp for this hiking trip but my understanding of the road in is that it is 13 miles of what I was looking at and WOULD NOT try that in my mini-van.
My plan is to watch the sunset on top of the Butte, so I decide to make camp have a big early dinner and get all the camp chores out of the way...
First things first, I gotta decide my sleep system. I brought the hammock but was thinking about just cowboy camping or just setting up a simple tarp shelter. But truth be told we all know I'm gonna set up the hammock. I want to be comfortable and since I bought the stuff to do so I might as well. A combination of an ENO hammock and BearButt fly. Both pieces of gear work really well. The ENO is a little heavy and if I was going ultralight I couldn't justify the weight for the value. Placement of the hammock feels vital at this point.
I want to put the hammock up somewhere near the fire, but not so close ill set myself or my gear on fire and there just doesn't seem to be anywhere that quite fits the bill, so....plan B. I decided to go ahead and put those bushcraft skills to use and build a tripod to hang my system.
I find 3 poles at least as long as I am with my hands up in the air and clean all the little twigs off of them, tie them together really well at one end and try it out, NOPE. A second, more successful try after a finding a way to press the poles into the ground and we are hung up.
Take a short break and then get dinner going. Cooking on the old MSR stove I make a combo dinner with little ramen noodles and an MRE (meatballs and sauce) that I picked up at Winco...... maybe it was because I walked 7 miles that day, but it wasn't too bad. I will openly admit, I even liked it.
I got cleaned up, gather up some wood for a fire, and pack a little bag with just the essentials: a couple snacks, emergency supplies, water and a rain cover. All set and ready to go head up to the top of Bonnie Butte.The walk was pretty short and the trail was wide and easy to follow but fairly steep. The top of the Butte offered views in 360 degrees of several snow-capped mountains fields of wildflowers, the dessert off on the east and trees as far as the eye could see. Besides the fact I was standing on an old road and there was some signage here, one couldn't see evidence of people for miles and miles. The only way I was reminded that of human activity were the big dam (Bonneville?) and a bunch of wind turbines, both so far away I could only see them as specks with the naked eye.
I had brought a book and was going to sit and read until the sun went down but I was decidedly exhausted and my camera batteries were quickly waning and I still had a mile walk ahead of me back to camp. I strolled back down to camp for some relaxing by the fire instead. The rest of the night is fairly uneventful. I pop a couple of beers and hang in the hammock with a book.
**Side Note** One of my beers was McMenamins Hammerhead IPA, a signature brew made by a local company based out of Portland. If you just about anywhere in the PacNW you know McMenamins. Very tasty beer, hoppy and refreshing, came in a can for the win.
Morning is standard on the trail morning. A small fire to warm up a few minutes, eat as much oatmeal and trail-mix as I can stuff into my gullet so I don't have to carry it. Filter just a little bit more than enough water to get me down to the trailhead. Break camp, pack up and start walking.
Walking back out is mostly just a walk. Other than the steep incline first thing of the day leading to several viewpoints, including the view over a lake and a valley, there is a time when I need to sit down because the insole of my foot starts screaming in pain and I need to suck down a few ibuprofen to make the 7 miles in just about 2.5 hours. Hit up a coffee spot for a breakfast sandwich and a hot cup on the way home.
A couple notes;
I used the Sawyer Mini on this trip for my water filtering needs. It works great. The only thing I didn't like about it is the bag doesn't inflate really well and is not so easy to get all the water back out, forcing me to sit by the creek edge for longer than I think I really needed to. I think in the future I'll just pop this on top of a little disposable water bottle. It'll add less than an ounce to my pack and I'm certain it'll work way better.
On the topic of water: I realized the location of this trip was on the eastern side of Mt Hood which is a much more arid section than the opposite slope. I carried in with me 2 liters of water, which I considered the minimum I could get away with for an overnight and cooking the things I did. Walking up I was concerned that it would be the only water I'd have. Bonnie Creek is right at the camp and I definitely would just go one bottle on this trip again. I might still have some concern as it was only a small creek and somewhat of a trickle when I was there in early July. By late August or early Sept, I'm not sure I personally would rely on this being a reliable water source. Take your own chances
Look for my newest adventure soon. The fam and I have since gone up to Rialto Beach the town of LaPush for a quick weekend.
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The weather started out a little dreary as the trip began. Atreyu, Everest, and I have headed out to Pyramid Lake, a remote lake with a little bit of a party reputation, not my impression at all when we got there, more on that later. It is Friday around noon before we finally get headed towards our destination. The drive is a little gloomy for a big part of it but we gun straight there. It is an overnight trip and I have to work tomorrow night so we have to plan to be back out early.
The last stretch of the road is pretty close in, maybe the last few miles are all dirt road and unimproved. We got to the trailhead around 2:30-3 pm. Take a few minutes to get all our gear on and car locked up and get out on the trail. I was expecting a low gradient and not too long a walk in, I wanted to take it easy on Atreyu and we do need to be out early. The trail immediately goes uphill. All up hill. All of the uphill for the whole walk in the first 300 yards. Steep. Pretty steep.
It does turn out to be a short walk however and once we reach the top of the hill we are near the lake edge already.
The first campsite we come to does indeed look like a party spot: oversized fire ring, several long large logs as benches near the fire pit, some random garbage, evidence of unnecessary cutting of wood (some green even) and a raft built and placed near the water.
The raft was kinda cool. I mean someone built a raft, but they could have/ should have taken it apart. Truth be told I'm not sure It was very seaworthy. I wasn't going to take it out and just give it a try for fun, but if it was a survival situation I might have been willing to give it a go, with a 50/50 chance I'd be swimming half the distance of the lake. Not a chance I'm willing to take for a photo op in the blog wearing all my clothes and backpack.
We decide against this spot for camping, partly because we have plenty of time to stroll around the lake and find a nicer spot and partly because we only brought hammocks and there's no place to hang them.
Strolling around the lake we do come across several campsites. The further we get away from the access trail the move inviting the spots become. The trail takes us clockwise around the lake and through a narrow trail that becomes lost in areas and has small stretches that are straight bushwacking.
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| Summer 2017 |
After hiking about 2/3 of the lake we cross a talus field and Everest leading the pack shouts how he found a great spot. He did. Perfect. This spot has access to the lake nad great hammock hanging spots. Someone even built a chair out of rocks here.
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| My Bright Shining Star. |
There were two separate fire pits here so I have to fix that quick. I take the pieces from the two of them and build one good fireplace. There is a lot of duff on the ground so I build the fireplace on top of a series of flat rocks so as not to catch the ground on fire. We then dig a hole in the ground where the remnants of the older/less well-constructed fire are to bury the old coals.
When we are done you can't tell there was ever two there. With the new and improved fire pit ready we get to some more camp chores. The plan was to get the water filtered with a new system and realized I either lost it on the trail or left it in the car, hopefully, its in the car. I built a bench out of a log and couple of rocks that are laying in the middle of camp. While building the bench my saw slips and cuts a nice little cut in two of my fingers. Not bad but a scary reminder to be careful when using sharp tools and good practice with my first aid kit. We collect firewood and get the hammocks hung.
The hammocks are both ENO hammocks. Atreyu and I are rocking the DoubleNest and Everest has the Double Deluxe. I really like this system for camping. SO comfy, little tough sometimes when Atreyu and I share one but still cozy.
With all else done its time to get the fire going for dinner and go for a swim. I started the fire with a ferrous rod for the first time. It took a few minutes of tries but I got it. A nice soak in the lake and we find a salamander swimming around and are able to just ever so gently scoop it up out of the water. So cool. We start to get cold after a little while and jump out and warm up by the fire while I get dinner ready.
Dinner is a special treat, ribs cooked on a stick right over the coals and some instant garlic mashed potatoes. Ribs were a little tough but very tasty and the instant mashed potatoes hit the spot.
A couple of obligatory marshmallows and red boxed wine are a perfect treat after dinner. The sun sets and darkness starts to creep in. Stars and the full moon shine in the night over the lake and it is good to just soak it in.
We all settle in for a quiet night listening to an owl and the peeper frogs, sit by the fire and read and talk.
Morning brings oats and coffee and a slow relaxing morning. We pack up and walk back out the way we came in case I had lost my new filter along the path. When we got to the van it is there. We roll out and head home.
It all started as it always does.... with a trip idea. The original plan was to go ultralight backpack and hike into the remote Indian Heaven Wilderness to Chenamus Lake and camp out for a couple nights. Things don't always go as planned. And that's not always a bad thing.
Day 1. We didn't get out on the road until mid afternoon, but the drive was only about an hour and a half and weren't walking in too far, so I figured we'd still be all set up by 7, which with a late sun is enough time to get some dinner going and chill out a bit. The core team (Fawn and Atreyu) and I headed out with Everest and Luna for what was planned as about a two-mile hike past Placid Lake to Chenamus Lake and set up the tents and have some yummy grub. We'll see.... what happened was.... it was super snowy STILL, even in the last week of June. The trail was covered in hard packed ice and snow in some spots and in others there were standing ice water puddles (Luna didn't mind). There were several spots where blown down trees required going over, under or around, not always easy carrying a pack. Atreyu was having a hard time with the walk and we're all kinda bushed when we see Placid lake. There is a gorgeous campsite near the water right on the edge of a meadow, firewood and a couple of fire rings. It's already starting to get late, we simply decided to stay. We couldn't have made a better decision. I take down two of the fire rings and fix one of them, while Everest and Fawn get the camp together. Atreyu chased Luna around and whacked things with a stick. Everybody has to contribute to camp to make it a success. We get dinner going and set down to eat. We brought WAY more food than any 4some needs for two days but we want to be comfortable. Dinner the first night is ramen noodles, with chicken and veggies. A crowd favorite. The sun is still high in the sky and the lake is clear and shallow with a sandy/muddy bottom, the water is warmish, not warm but not uncomfortable and we do a little wading hanging by the lake edge. Atreyu and I find tiny frogs on the lake edge and he catches a couple. **SideNote** There isn't a whole lot cuter than a 4-year-old with a tiny frog in their fist, being 'Oh So Careful'.
As evening rolls around and the temperature starts to drop we all scoot around the campfire. We have tea and roast marshmallows and just lounge around. As the sun sets behind the trees and the sky begins to darken the sounds of the thousands, of peeper frogs, get louder and louder to the point you can't hear much else and actually need to raise your voice just a touch to keep a conversation going. Atreyu gets off to bed and Fawn isn't far behind him. The night sky begins to darken the small crescent moon plays with the horizon and gives just enough light to see where the meadow ends and the lake begins. Everest and I spend 30-40 minutes just standing on the water's edge staring at the millions of stars as they show more and more brightly. The milky way becomes evident only as the moon ducks under the tree line and I am reminded of the true glory that only a sky full of stars can have.
That night as I lay in bed still imagining how very small I am compared to all of existence, the frogs stopped chirping. Like ALL of them, At Once. DEAD SILENCE. 10 seconds go by, 20, 30 maybe 45 seconds before another sound. I laid there, frozen, listening with alert intent. Then, they slowly began again and within a moment the sound is near deafening and all feels right in the world, as I drift off to sleep.
Day 2: Like most mornings in camp, I'm up super early. I make a fire and get the coffee going. I sit and watch the day begin as the sun comes up.
Eventually, everyone else gets up and we have oatmeal and coffee for breakfast. We had a bunch of goodies to put in oatmeal: dried berries and apples and nut selection. We all lounge for a lazy morning for a bit, then we get cleaned up and ready for a walk. I pack a lunch and we head out to find the lake we came to see in the first place.
Remember when I said things don't always go as planned? This hike is one of those things. We tried to find the trail to Chenamus Lake again. We started by following what I thought was the trail and followed along with some orange tags on trees that seemed to mark a clear trail. They did not. We ended up on a bushwhack all the way around Placid Lake, which we only realized when we got to a clearing on the lake and could see our camp across s the water. But it was a good hike. Brush and brambles over and under around and through. We were forced to tromp and push through some pretty thick brush but we made it and had a good day anyway. We stopped along the trail and had lunch, meat and cheese wraps and some gorp. Yum.
Back to camp and the plan is "not much". We go for a dip in the lake and try a little fishing with a "pole" I made from some extra paracord and a stick (it didn't work) and just watch the day go by. Some naps, some feet soaking. Hanging in the hammock and resting against a log. We make a leisurely dinner of raspberry scones and veggie sausage with cheesy rice n broccoli. A few more marshmallows and some more tea. A quiet night just sitting by the fire. Luna and I used each other as pillows and dozed off right on the ground. Everest and I watched a bat flying around for a bit and I found a giant toad in the grass. Fairly uneventful, but so satisfying.
Day 3: The morning was chill as well. Keep it simple. A buffet of everything left to eat we don't want to have to carry back out, which means giant bowls of oatmeal full of all kinds of stuff, and quesadillas with cheese and various dried and cured meats as well as several pots of coffee. We break camp and head back out on the trail which seems so much shorter this time for some reason and Fawn points out that she thinks a lot of the snow has melted since we'd gone through. We get back to the car and head on down the road, a quick stop for coffee at the drive through and back over "The Bridge of the Gods" and home in time to get showered and ready for work.
We didn't bring anything new on this trip but it was the first time we backpacked with our small tent, The Drifter 3 from Mountain Hardware. Which incidentally was exactly the right size for us on this trip. I know there are lighter tents out there and of course, I would love to have one, but this tent was just right this time. The weight of carrying it in versus the amount of space it offered was well worth it. We fit Atreyu, Fawn, Luna and me all in this for sleeping. No Problems. The two only issues I even had were the fact that Luna was on my bed when I tried to climb in it and deciding whether to bring all the parts or not. TBH we never even used the fly, but originally I planned on only going with the fly and poles but reports said there were tons of mosquitos in this area, which there are, so we needed the mesh. All in All I wold definitely recommend this tent or a similar product by mountain hardware but be aware this isn't a tent you want to carry in just for yourself or even a couple. This is a three person tent and three people are what make the size and weight worth the carry.
As I am finishing writing this we are planning a new trip and will head out for an overnight tomorrow. A new backpack trip, a new lake, AND I got a new camera, so look for tons of great pics on the next one.
Last thing. Let me ask you guys for some constructive criticism. What do you like or don't like about my blog? What would you like more of? I'm working on a new site and would love the feedback in the comments below. Like everywhere else, remember to like and subscribe. Hit that + button on Google. And share the heck out of my stuff here. Love you all. Talk to you soon.
I got cleaned up, gather up some wood for a fire, and pack a little bag with just the essentials: a couple snacks, emergency supplies, water and a rain cover. All set and ready to go head up to the top of Bonnie Butte.The walk was pretty short and the trail was wide and easy to follow but fairly steep. The top of the Butte offered views in 360 degrees of several snow-capped mountains fields of wildflowers, the dessert off on the east and trees as far as the eye could see. Besides the fact I was standing on an old road and there was some signage here, one couldn't see evidence of people for miles and miles. The only way I was reminded that of human activity were the big dam (Bonneville?) and a bunch of wind turbines, both so far away I could only see them as specks with the naked eye.
