The Tapto Lakes Tour, 7.31.15 - 8.6.15, Part 5 of 5
Beautiful Brush Creek
On Wednesday, day six, the weather was actually pretty nice when we woke up. We had a long day of hiking ahead of us (ten miles) so we packed up our camp, shouldered our packs and started back up the hill. Our packs were much lighter now that there was only one and a half days of food left but our hearts were a little heavy knowing we had to leave.
At the top of the ridge we all turned around and just stood there a moment, each with our own thoughts about what we had just experienced. Then we set our minds to the long trail ahead and started back down the trail towards Whatcom Pass. The steep descent through the cliff bands wasn’t nearly as treacherous as we had expected and within an hour we were back at the pass. Then we made our way back down the Brush Creek Trail back the way we came in, passing Whatcom Camp, then the downed trees and on to Graybeal Camp.
About a mile from the cable car the rain began to come down and we stopped to put on rain gear. That did about as much good as putting a bandaid on a severed leg. Hiking through the tall brush combined with the rain we got soaked. No amount of boot seal had any effect. By 2:30PM after we had passed US Cabin Camp and gone two more miles to Copper Creek Camp we were drenched from head to toe. None of this bothered me at all. I already knew this was possibly in the forecast and the fact that we had already had perfect weather for everything we had come to see made me so grateful that this was just another part of the total story and not a deterrent.
Still, there was no denying that it is a bit more difficult to operate in the rain than in dry weather. Once we got into Copper Creek Camp I immediately changed into a long sleeved fleece shirt, put on my down jacket and a wool hat. I set up my tent, threw what I needed for the night and the next day inside and assessed the situation. Now that I had stopped moving so much I began to shiver as I was soaking wet so I climbed into the tent, stripped down and crawled into my bag to get warm. Hypothermia is not something to mess with and in short order I was much warmer and feeling better. I also dozed off until Mike and Harry woke me up around 6:30 wanting to know if I was going to eat dinner. My boots were completely soaked on the outside and inside and I was pretty snug in my bag so I opted out. They offered to boil up some water and bring me a dinner pouch and that sounded pretty good. It is a cardinal sin to have food in your tent but at this point I figured if a bear eats me at least I would die with a full belly, warm and dry. Mike and Harry were total troopers hanging out in the pouring rain while I was holed up in my tent. I finished my meal, handed the pouch back to Harry and hunkered down for the night.
The next morning we were eager to get out so we got up at 5:30AM, tore down our camp and hit the trail for the final eight miles back to the car. My pack felt twice as heavy with all the rain soaked gear. My tent felt like it weighed ten pounds. But the rain had actually stopped in the night and most of the precipitation was from rainwater dripping off the trees and on the brush. As great as the week had been we were all kinda eager to get back, especially because all week long we had been talking about eating ribs for dinner upon our return and it was starting to sound really good by that point.
The weather gradually improved with each mile. Another weird by product of this crazy dry year in the northwest is that all the berries ripened much earlier than normal. Harry and I grazed our way up the trail on delicious blueberries and huckleberries. We had to gain 2,200’ of vertical to get back to Hannegan Pass and when we finally did it was only four more miles of downhill left to get back to the car.
The ride home was fairly quiet, each of us lost in our own memories of the week we had just spent. For me, everything about the trip vastly exceeded my highest hopes. My legs were strong and I had no issues with cramping. My stamina was good and although the trail climbing was long and at time arduous, I did amazingly well. As much as I had read about the area we went to, the actual scenery was a million times better than I had even imagined. Having no pesky bugs to contend with was a gigantic bonus that again, I can not possibly overstate. The photography opportunities were limitless and I am quite pleased with how many good shots I brought home.
But above all, the guys I hiked with made the trip ever more special and really was the absolute highlight of the entire week. Everyone had their own unique personalities that they brought to the table and all four of us contributed equally to the success of the trip. I know Greg so well as a hiking partner and his decision making and innate sense of routing were invaluable, especially in the planning stages before the trip which was crucial to the overall outcome. His sense of humor and enthusiasm for mountain scenery were infectious. MIke I have known for over forty years and we have so many memories together. He has now been on three weeklong trips up here in Washington. The first was a week in Royal Basin in the Olympics. The second was when he and his wife Sandy joined Bridgit and me for a week in the Lyman Lakes/Cloudy Pass area of the Glacier Peak Wilderness. The third of course is this latest trip. I think he’s had a pretty darn good sampling of what our state has to offer and as many places as Mike has been in his extensive hiking career, I always feel good when I can still take him to a place that blows his mind.
And then there is Harry. One would never know that this was his first experience backpacking in his entire life. He learned quickly about filtering water, setting up tents and back country cooking. His strength and endurance were never in question. His willingness to help with anything that needed to be done was constant. But what I loved the most was his childlike wonder and amazement at the things he saw every day. It didn’t matter if it was a weird looking tree root or a strangely colored rock or a massive glacier like the Challenger. Everything was such a wide eyed experience and he soaked it all up like a sponge.
So my most sincere thanks goes out to Greg, Mike and Harry for making this trip so very special. I’d hike with you guys any time!