Where the Wild Things Are {Backpacking Adventures}

This past weekend, Ken and I tackled the Cascade Mountains Lewis & Clark Style (well, somewhat.) We had initially planned on venturing outdoors for a two-night backpacking trip, starting Friday afternoon and ending Sunday night but then Ken's professor scheduled a midterm that Friday afternoon. Because of this, we decided to postpone the trip a day so that Ken had ample time to take his test and pack. That was perfect timing for me since I came down with a 24-hour stomach flu that same day. All that to say, we finally hit the road Saturday morning and headed to the lakes near Mount Pilchuk.

Each of our packs weighed between 25-40 lbs, mine being about 25 lbs and Ken's being almost double in weight. This trip, I had much more success in resting the weight of the pack on my hips than in the past. I think my pack has seen many adventures, since we bought it a couple years ago from a local thrift store and it doesn't always adjust well to my body. Loaded with two sleeping bags and pads, our two-person green tent, rain and cool weather gear, our cell phones, matches, a small travel stove, three water bottles and about 2 gallon-size camelbaks, a tiny stainless steel pot, three hot dogs, three peanut butter sandwiches, some bread, one can of baked beans, a pack of quinoa and oatmeal, four homemade granola bars, and a few paper products and spoons, we began our hike to Lake Twenty-Two via the digital map on Ken's phone. There was no trail where we set out on our first attempt to get to the lake and after multiple felled trees blocking our path and mosquito and bush attacks, we turned back to our starting point. Along the way, however, we came across an amazing find: orange, yellow and bright purple and red raspberries! Lush berry plants were all along the road we had taken to reach our supposed trail. We even found high-bush blueberries in that same area--a plant I'd never seen before this trip.

Ken and I eventually decided to make camp along one of the closer lakes we found, since our original plan fell threw. It was so peaceful and unspoiled near the lake. We didn't see any other campers near our campsite until we stumbled across two men, probably a dad and his son, much further down from us. Tall evergreen trees, many old growth, surrounded us. The aromatic smell of the forest was fresh and bright. From our campsite, we could see the lake on one side and the steep slope of the mountain on the other--the best of both worlds.

Ken built an afternoon fire quickly, the mark of an experienced Eagle Scout. That night, we lounged around the fire, cooking hot dogs, baked beans and smores. Inexpensive food always taste better to me when you're out camping. During dinner, Ken and I played word games and shared stories of camping and hiking as children. I love how Ken's parents cultivated a rich fondness of the outdoors in him and his brothers. I want to do the same with our children, teaching them not to fear the outdoors but have a respect for it.

In the morning, I awoke to rabbits thumping around our tent, an owl calling from a nearby tree and a woodpecker chomping away at the forest. It felt so freeing to being outdoors, surrounded by trees, breathing in fresh, crisp air. On Sunday, we packed everything up and hiked it back to our car and then turned around and hiked some more. We headed up a steep hill climb and enjoyed the far-reaching views. When my body started to give out from fatigue, we turned around and hiked back to the car. On our drive down the mountain, we made sure to stop multiple times to gather more fresh berries. In all, we gathered just under 4 quarts. I'm so excited to make raspberry jams and pies with our fruit!

What an adventure Ken and I embarked upon. Looking back, I'm so glad that we made time to explore more of God's creation--it's wild and untamed beauty, especially while we live in Washington. Here are some photos of our trip: