Lessons Learned the Hard Way: I had intended to backpack to Peggy’s Pond and spend two days exploring the Cathedral Pass and Mount Daniel alpine wilderness area northwest of Salmon la Sac for this weekend’s adventure. But I have ended up with an adventure of an entirely other sort... I did get to the trailhead, the skies were darkening and it was starting to sprinkle… I started the hike with some confidence, knowing I had dry clothes in my pack and a good rain jacket.
In retrospect, I should have turned around at the first crack of thunder. Or even the second or third. But I kept going, hoping the rains would pass quickly. Unfortunately, the weather kept getting more intense. I got to experience lightening, loud cracks of thunder nearby, heavy rain, and hail balls more than a quarter inch in diameter. My raincoat was quickly overwhelmed, my waterproof boots were sloshing water, and I was pretty miserable in short order. But I didn’t want to turn around. I didn’t want to quit. I figured that if I could make it to the first lake, then maybe I’d find a tree for shelter and I’d be able to set up the tent and get dry and warm. A blast of lightening followed immediately by a thunderous boom about two-miles in, made me change my mind and turn around. I ended up hightailing it out of that valley, driving up 97 and getting Thai food in Wenatchee before heading north up to the Methow to camp out. I’m so glad I didn’t try to suffer through in the driving rain.
Lessons learned (or re-learned because I forgot these somehow):
- check local weather forecasts in detail (a 7-day forecast for the closest town isn’t good enough)
- Don’t start a hike or set up camp in the rain if you can avoid it. It really is miserable. If you’ve forgotten that, it’s just been too long. lol.
- Economics is right - sunk costs are just that and shouldn’t be considered when making a decision about fest best to do for the future. Just because you’ve invested time and energy into getting that far, it doesn’t mean it’s a great choice to continue.
- Have stuff for car camping even when the plan is to backpack…. Because you just never know and it’s always nice to have a few more creature comforts.
After trying unsuccessfully to find a camp spot at Alta Lake State Park, I took the road into Black Canyon, which is near the Methow River. We used to camp there when I was a river guide. I found a nice spot to pull off the forest road and set up for the night. When the sun came out, I realized I had camped on a helicopter landing pad that they use when fighting fires in the area. That was kind of a surprise.
My low tire pressure light came on when I started driving that morning. Luckily it wasn’t a flat it was just low air and I was able to stop at a Les Schwab in Twisp and they were able to repair my tire while I drank tea at the local bakery. I then drove through Winthrop, which is such a cute town, and up to Mazama. I had my heart set on a fresh baguette at the Mazama store - those weren’t ready yet, so I ended up with a delicious, still warm, flaky croissant. At their nice patio area, I sat down with my map and planned the day’s activities.
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