Idaho-Montana-Wyoming Labor Day Week

26 Aug - 5 Sep 2014

Sunset over the Big Horn Basin from Five Springs launch

Although we had thought we were going to do a trip back East to meet a few of my forestry summer camp cabin mates and do some Farnsworth family history around Washingtonville with Ginny, that plan fell through. So we had more freedom to do a big trip back to the Sandturn Fly-in near Dayton, WY. To really make it interesting, we carried the kayak on the roof along with camping gear just in case we could make the Shoshone Lake paddle in Yellowstone happen without backcountry reservations. Besides, we were going to stop and visit Belinda and Davis in McCall, ID, and Belinda said that the kayaking was great on Payette Lake/River.

Field of sunflowers near Lovell, WY

26 Aug, Tue - C.J. and I left NB around 0820, got gas at Warrior in CleElum ($50 @ 3.759), and drove I-90 to US 26 and Washtucna, across the Snake R then over the 4000 ft ridge to Clarkston (gas at Costco 3.619). We crossed the Snake and followed the Clearwater then US 95 over the high point (5000') at White Bird summit and down through Riggins where we crossed the Salmon R. Following the Little Salmon south we climbed back up to New Meadow and, finally, around 1800 we reached McCall and Ponderosa State Park on Payette Lake. Davis and Belinda came over from their RV park to share a chef salad with us at the picnic table. Then when it got chilly we adjourned to our tiny trailer. Around 2230 Davis loaded his bike into the back of their truck and they returned to their toy hauler (which they are about to replace). The temperature during the night was good for sleeping.

27 Aug, Wed - It was still cool enough in the morning that a shot of furnace heat felt good. After oatmeal for breakfast we went out to pay for our campsite but found that the visitor center was way at the other end of the huge park. We drove down there and paid for two nights (~$63) but had to move our trailer to a new site because the one we were in was reserved for the 27th. No problem - we got another pull-thru with electricity and water just a few sites away. On the way back from the VC we spotted a fox near our CG loop with a beautiful, big bushy tail with a white ring near the tip. Around 1030 we met Belinda at the small farmers market near the McCall marina. Davis was not feeling well - he thought it might be food poisoning (but none of the rest of us were sick). At 1115 we headed over to meet Belinda at her RV park and then drove to the north end of Payette Lake along the Warren Wagon Rd. The state park concessionaire at the mouth of the Payette R rented Belinda a kayak while we wrestled ours off the car and into the water. There was almost no current as we paddled up the meanders about 2.5 miles just past the bridge for the Eastside Road. We found a sandy bank to have lunch on before starting back. Even though we took a slightly different route on the way back we did not see any of the big critters that some other paddlers reported (a cow and calf moose). On the way back Belinda showed us "Charley's Garden" near the Simplot compound along the Warren Wagon Road. Back at the McCall RV Resort, Davis was looking better and C.J. checked her email for any editing jobs -none (late as usual). Around 1700 we went back to camp for a shower (free/included in the site fee). At 1830 we met Belinda at the Salmon River Brewery which had a menu of "gourmet pub grub". We had the elk black and blue burger and the Baja fish tacos, both very good. and I ordered a flight of four samples of the local beers. The oatmeal stout was excellent with a very chocolate-y favor. We left at 2100 and stopped for gas at Chevron (3.899, oof!) before heading back to camp for the night.

G and C.J. with Belinda

28 Aug, Thu - Belinda rode over and met us at our campsite shortly after 1000 and we went for a drive on the scenic route around the north end of the 1500-acre state park. The volcanic high point at the end had a view of the west shore of the lake - you could see the Simplot compound and two bays, Wagon Wheel and Sylvan. Back about 1130 we finished packing and hit the road. I had waffled for days on the route we should take to Sand Turn but we finally went with the GPS suggestion backtracking through Riggins to Grangeville and then down a tributary of the Clearwater on a winding, two-land road to Rte 12 at Kooskia. We stayed on 12 up the Lochsa River and across Lolo Pass all the way to Rte 93 almost to Missoula. There we got gas at Costco (3.549) and took a dinner break at Famous Dave's BBQ. Service was very quick and we had beat the evening rush so we were back on the road in less than an hour - good thing because it was still a long drive on I-90, mostly in the dark to Boseman. We pulled into the Walmart parking lot after 2200, we and a good number of other RVs.

29 Aug, Fri - We got up at 0700 and had cold cereal before getting on our way to Costco for gas (3.529). Then we headed east on I-90 to Billings and then south and east past Custer Battlefield (now called Little Big Horn Battlefield) to Ranchester. For some reason we had poor gas mileage at first even along the Yellowstone River valley. It improved to 21.3 mpg then dropped to 20.2 as we traversed the hills near the MT-WY border. We arrived at Conner Battlefield SP pretty early so there were a number of campsites available. We took one that would provide some shade remembering how hot it had been the previous year. C.J. went to the Tourist Information Center to check email while I set up our new Renogy 60-watt folding solar panel for the first time. Since the battery was
already about fully charged, the panel didn't do much. Maybe on Saturday after we'd used our lights and possibly the furnace, the solar panel would recharge the battery. No other pilots were in the CG so around 1530 we drove into Dayton, got some ice cream (I had a Big Train mocha smoothie which was very good - like a good coffee shake), and went out to LZ 1, the higher of the two landing zones. Johann and Jim  had just landed after a short flight but Vancouver-area (Abbotsford, actually) pilot, Mark Tulloch, was thermalling up and getting a decent XC flight to near Parkman. We hung around talking with Jim and Johann and Paul ___, a biwingual pilot from Minn, before returning to camp where more pilots were arriving (including  Dan and Linda Gravage, and LJ Omara and Corrie(?)). I used the not-very-warm water from the solar shower to get a shampoo - the new SS with two opaque faces does not work as well as our old one with one clear and one black face. C.J. made some dip and veggies which we shared with Mark and his friend when they dropped by to chat. We had the leftover stuffed zucchini and a salad for dinner, then we walked back over to the TI to use their electricity and wi-fi for picking up email - still no Alpha. When we got back to camp we wandered over to where most of the pilots were hanging out around a campfire; Johann was there, too. By 2145 we were ready for bed. On the way back to the trailer we heard an owl - not exactly hooting and not quite screeching - but we couldn't spot it in the trees with our headlamps.
30 Aug, Sat - We had prepared "overnight oatmeal" in the refrigerator so breakfast was quickly prepared and cleanup was minimal. There really wasn't any rush because the forecast called for NW winds and a chance of thundershowers. We went over to the TI, and C.J. downloaded the Alpha while I sent responses to the pilots who had made USHPA awards nominations. Back at camp C.J. worked on the Alpha and I set up the solar panel again. I tried

Campsite at Ranchester

using my computer with the cheapo 140 watt inverter but got a fault message (overload/low battery) whenever the computer turned on. But with the computer off, the inverter could charge the comp. battery going from 34% to to 50%. The solar panel kept the trailer battery's charge up. I was working on a crossword puzzle (while C.J. was actually working) when Jerry and his wife stopped by to chat. He is a local (Buffalo) pilot who had also been at the Riggins Resurrection fly-in back in 2007. Later Mark spent a few moments saying goodbye - he had checked conditions at the LZ and it did not look flyable to him - very gusty. They were heading for Utah, maybe the Point, maybe Richfield. C.J. and I cooked up some toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch then went back to the TI to work on the Alpha some more. When the thunder started, we hurried back to the trailer just barely beating the downpour and a gust front. We heard that a few pilots had been up on launch around noon prepared to fly. I finished my reading of the Alpha and we planned to return to the TI to upload it when the rain stopped. But it continued to be rainy/drizzly right up until dark. We wandered over to the end of the CG where the old-time hangies gathered and found out that a few had flown including Kevin Christopherson and Dan Gravage. Some folks headed for Eatstreet, a new restaurant in town, and we decided to try it out, too (especially after Mark had recommended the food). We shared the 14 oz prime rib dinner with "sidewinder fries" and an onion "flower" that appeared to be broiled. I had a Black Tooth Amber draft and we shared a piece of caramel-sauced cheesecake. After dinner we returned once more to the TI so C.J. could upload the Alpha and send a few emails. Back at camp we ran the furnace for a short while, read a bit and went to bed around 2230.
31 Aug, Sun - We didn't get up until 0830 and then we had a slow breakfast of blueberry pancakes. Afterward we drove around to find two of the local training hills - one, Graham, was located on Beckton Rd 2-3 mi south of Dayton. It faces N on the E side of the road. The other, Sheely, is on Rte 343 north of Dayton just before the road takes a 90 deg turn to the right; it faces south. Since flying looked out of the question we drove to the trailhead for the Tongue River Canyon trail. We took only

C.J. in Tongue R Cyn

light packs with rain gear and no lunch. I didn't even carry any water expecting to fill my bottle later since the trail paralleled the river. (Unfortunately, the trail never intersected the river; luckily we finally crossed a running stream.) The canyon was spectacular, then the trail entered ponderosa pines, finally we gained the high meadows about 2.5 miles in. Following some recent tracks we found a good viewpoint up into Box Canyon and scared up eight grouse. It was about two hours and about a 1000' elev gain; the return took about 1.5 hrs. We weren't in a rush as the weather had cleared up but remained windy. There was a lot of poison ivy in the canyon. We met only four people while going in plus a mtn biker pushing his bike. We stopped in Dayton for another ice cream and smoothie then returned to camp to clean up for a potluck at 1830 back in Dayton at the city park. C.J. made a lettuce-and-fruit salad; there was a big pot of chili made by Jim as well as his ranch-grown beef burgers. There was dip and fritos and other salads. Good thing we had already had dessert. Around 2000 it began to rain lightly and get cool, so even though we were in a pavillion, the party began to break up. I filled up at the Dayton Sinclair station (3.599) while C.J. bought milk and I

G crossing the stream in Tongue R Cyn

got a replacement 9-volt battery for our VOM. Earlier we had talked to Bill and Lucy Snyder (billxc@hotmail.com)(lucystilson@hotmail.com) about kayaking and flying sites. They suggested we check out Five Springs CG on the west side of the Big Horns for paragliding. They also told us about kayaking in Big Horn Canyon NRA and gave us a brochure/map. We talked with Dan and Jim but they didn't have much to add since they thought the LZ was not great for HG. We decided that we'd give both places a look on Monday if the weather did not look good for flying at Sand Turn/ Red Grade.

1 Sep, Mon, Labor Day - We were up at 0730 after a night with some gusty winds and noisy rain. Fortunately the rain stopped and we were able to get packed up and on the road around 1000. Overcast skies with a gloomy forecast had everyone else heading home, too. The weather wasn't too bad as we climbed into the Big Horns but beyond Burgess Jct. we got up into the clouds and it got wet. Above 8500 ft we had snow on the windshield and some slush on the road. We didn't run out of the cloud until we were most of the way down the steep grade past the Medicine Wheel and almost to the turnoff for Five Springs BLM campground. We drove in to the first CG (about 2 mi off 14A) but found only one site and a trailhead for a hike to Five Springs Falls. We drove another mile past some roadside campsites to the upper CG which had a good pull-thru (although no water or table). We

G on Five Springs launch, Big Horn Basin in background

unhitched and went off to find the Five Spring takeoff. We drove to the end of the road which turned out to be just 200 ft away - the launch was actually located just above our campsite and we reached it via a short, steep trail. Launch conditions were light and the breeze was straight in to the rounded, grassy slope as shown by an old wind streamer. The upper clouds, however, were streaming by from the north and we did not want to launch and find ourselves caught in a turbulent shear in such rugged country. Too bad there were no local pilots, but perhaps there are no local pilots in this sparsely populated country (USHPA shows three in Cody, the closest). After some PBandJ for lunch in a sunny glade next to our campsite we drove down to the Five Springs Falls trailhead. The trail went only a short distance to some low falls. The only way to see the high falls was to scramble up a somewhat exposed granite slab. By the time I got up I was wishing I had brought along

G scrambling to view of the falls

the 1/4 in goldline for the descent. There was no trail above the slab and we opted not to walk up the stream to the base of the falls. The descent wasn't too bad if you used the small holds near the inside corner. It was still early and we had about exhausted the local trails so we started up a side canyon, at first on an informal climbers (?) trail, then on occasional game paths and finally just-plain-bushwhacking up the fairly steep, narrow canyon. Around 1500 we decided to go on for another quarter hour to see how far we could get. So at 1515 it seemed like pushing on up to hit the old, abandoned Kane-Dayton Rd was better than trying to get back down some of the talus piles we had negotiated. The Backcountry Navigator app on my phone was pretty useful in showing us the shortest route to the road - across the little stream and up to the left. Once on level ground again we stopped to eat the energy bars we were carrying and drink a bunch of water. The walk down the old road was easy and the scenery was excellent. The whole distance from the TH back to our campsite was only 1.5 mi but a third of that was bushwhacking up some steep territory with an elevation gain of over 700 ft. I still had another mile to walk on the paved road to retrieve the car and fill the water container at the only water spigots in the CG before the hike was done for me. C.J. had to wait outside the locked trailer because neither of us had carried our keys. We were pretty beat and felt like doing nothing more energetic than sitting around and having some snacks and a gin and tonic Crystal Light lemonade. We were kind of out of fresh food, no meat at all, so C.J. was going to make spaghetti. But we couldn't find any of that, either. We went for quinoa with spaghetti sauce but it took a long time to cook at 6800'. Around 1900 we turned off the stove and walked up to launch to watch the sun set (which didn't happen until after 1930 although our campsite had been in shade for quite a while). Conditions on takeoff were really mellow and all those fast-moving and stormy-looking clouds were gone. We spotted what we thought was a white windsock near the LZ (where we thought it was, anyway) that we hadn't seen before - had someone been here while we were hiking? The sunset was pretty good; dinner was excellent even without meat or spaghetti. and there was still chocolate zucchini cake for dessert. By 2100 we were all cleaned up.

  2 Sep, Tue -We were up at 0700 and out by 0930. We discovered that we had a leak in our

Big Horn Canyon NRA

expandable water carrier - a bad time to lose our water carrier as we were heading into dry country. We descended the rest of the way out of the Big Horns and crossed Big Horn Reservoir on the causeway. Almost to Lovell we stopped at the Big Horn Cyn NRA visitor center. A very helpful ranger made notations of things not to miss on a map for us. Afterward we continued on into Lovell and went to the Red Apple supermarket where we found some sausage on sale and picked up a package of spaghetti/angel hair. They didn't have any folding water containers. Two miles east of Lovell we turned north on SR 37 toward the NRA and passed a big Bentonite plant (Bentonite is a clay derived from volcanic ash used for drilling mud for oil exploration). At the NRA entrance we had to stop for a watercraft inspection for invasive species. We then stopped at Horseshoe Cove just to check it out - boat launch, CG, wide-open desert view. Spotting a trailer dump station, I filled our trailer tank with potable water, solving the water container problem. The next stop was at the Devils Canyon Overlook some 1500 ft above the river surface. The view of the canyon walls and entrenched meanders was spectacular. Alongside the access road we spotted a small herd of wild horses on the

Paddling upstream in Big Horn Canyon

the way in and out. Back on SR37 we stopped again to walk a short interpretive trail through a large expanse with many old, stone tepee (tipi) rings. About 30 miles from the main highway we reached the turnoff to Barry's Landing and the Trail Creek CG. No one was there and camping was free (no water), so we picked a good site and set up. I got out the solar panel and the solar shower and C.J. plugged our toothbrush charger into the inverter. It seemed to work just fine. Later she also got a partial charge on her computer. Then we got our gear together and drove down to the boat launch and put our kayak in the water. No one else was around - as the ranger said, this place is under-utilized. We paddled upstream and upwind against some occasional strong gusts. We went as far along the steep-walled 800 ft high canyons as Layout Creek, a side canyon on the west side, about 2.6 mi. It didn't go very far before it was blocked by a large downed tree and some low waterfalls. We managed to find a place where we could get out of the boat and ate lunch in the shade on a steep slope. Heading back paddling felt a little easier with the breeze and slow current. After reloading the kayak onto the car, we returned to camp. Even though there was a large group of young people swimming

Aliner w/solar panel in Big Horn Cyn NRA

near the boat launch, there was still no one else camping. The solar panel was working great and the solar shower (which I had filled up in the stream just below our campsite) actually felt like it was getting warm. We left that stuff in the sun and drove back to Sullivan's Knob, a one-plus mile trail down to the canyon rim just north of Devils Canyon Overlook. Great views! When we returned we found the solar stuff in the shade of the ridge behind us and the battery down to 12.8v from 13.8v while the sun was energizing it. C.J.'s computer had been plugged in to the inverter so it may have been drawing down the battery as the computer charged. C.J. made a great spaghetti with the sausage and some veggies and we shared a delicious ripe tomato from our garden, and some cucumber spears too. [Early in the trip we had lost some lettuce and other greens to the refrigerator which was set too cold and froze the veggies. Changing the setting to close to "1" seemed to take care of that problem.] After dinner we wandered around for a while watching the desert-like slopes but we never saw any mammals or even any soaring raptors. Although, later I spotted a small mouse-like critter with round ears and a long tail.

3 Sep, Wed - We were up at 0700 and enjoyed a breakfast of blueberry pancakes with our finally dwindling supply of blueberries. It looked like a lovely day but the forecast was for wind. On our way we stopped briefly at the VC in Lovell, got gas (3.579) and headed for Cody on 14A. At Sierra Trading Post in Cody we found a good buy on a spare paddle and replaced our two-gal water container. We looked in vain for some reasonably priced slippers and bought a two-pack of boot grippers for icy trails. Outside of Cody we ran into strong winds along Buffalo Bill Reservoir. There were many USFS CGs along the scenic route leading to the east entrance to Yellowstone. Climbing over 8000'+ Sylvan Pass we encountered a bison taking up the eastbound lane just on the other side of the pass. When we reached Yellowstone Lake, the waves were crashing on the beaches. A bit farther along we came to Indian Pond and found a crowd of

Part of the grizzly-watching crowd

people all staring in the same direction. Quickly parking we made our way to the gathering and found out that there was a grizzly bear taking a nap just out of sight behind some sagebrush. Several rangers were present as well as an ambulance(!). Occasionally we'd catch a glimpse of the top of the bear's head and ears. One photographer had been there since 1100 (It was now after 1300) and he had some really good photos. Since we had places to go...we headed on to the marina at Bridge Bay. There we met with the backcountry ranger and were surprised to find that almost all the Shoshone Lake campsites were available for Wed. and Thu nights. By now we had made up our minds that the temperatures at nights (down to 27 deg) were going to be just too cold for comfort in our old sleeping bags,

C.J. and Teddy, Grant Village

so we did not reserve any sites. However the winds are forecast to drop off to light on Thu so we would be able to paddle on Lewis Lake and maybe go up the channel toward Shoshone. For now our priority was to get a campsite for the night. Bridge Bay was closed as of Labor Day; we had already camped once before at Lewis Lake; so we headed for Grant Village, one of the largest campgrounds in YNP. It turned out that there were lots of sites available at Xanterra-administered Grant and we got a back-in conveniently close to the rest rooms. The $14.80 fee (golden access rate) included two hot showers at Grant Village. After setting up (no need for the solar panel for one night, too shady anyway), we drove to the backcountry ranger office and filled out the permit for boating on Lewis Lake. Then the watercraft inspection ranger went through questions similar to those at Big

Coyote Crunch shake of the week

Horn Cyn (Where have you paddled last?) and gave us our YNP sticker with AIS stamp on it. After all that we stopped at the general store - lots of nifty-gifties but nothing we needed, although we did buy a specialty shake of the week "Coyote Crunch" made by an artisan shake-meister. It was only 1700 so we decided that we could fit in a short (2 mi) loop hike to Lake Overlook from West Thumb thermal area. We got back to camp after 1800 and C.J. had to rush to prepare dinner so we could get to the ranger program at 1930, "Superheroes" (bats, beavers, wolves, coyotes, bison, and tourists) in the visitor center auditorium.

4 Sep, Thu - After a cold night (down to at least 27 deg, measured in the morning) we got an early start

Mouth of Lewis Channel

which let me get to the shower facility located down the road shortly after it opened at 0800. We packed up and got on the road with the trailer early enough to get down to Lewis Lake sometime before 0930. After dropping the Aliner off in the trailer parking lot behind the ranger station, we got the kayak ready. Even with the sunshine, it was still pretty cold so we didn't want to wade in the water to launch. The boat dock offered a way to get aboard with dry feet. To stay warm we were wearing a couple of layers of fleece, our PFDs and sprayskirts. We paddled across the south end of the lake and then followed the far shore passing some steaming hot springs. It took about an hour to reach the entrance to the Lewis Channel. We paddled up the winding river with one pit stop along the way. Gradually the river got narrower and shallower, and the current got stronger. At the point that we would have had to get out and walk in the shallows pulling the boat we turned around (one hour to there) and paddled back downriver with the current and wind. By now it had warmed up. We stopped on a sandy beach at the entrance to the channel to eat a Clif bar and stretch. Then we headed straight out into the wind across the lake. The whole return trip took about 1 hr 40 min even paddling into the wind because we did not follow the more-interesting shoreline but cut right across to a treed point (with a big bald eagle) and then directly across to the dock. Shortly after we got the boat ready to load on the car, the wind stopped completely and the lake became glassy calm. By now it was maybe around 1500 and we were planning to make it home in two days (which meant about seven hours per day).Missoula looked like the best bet for over-nighting but we wouldn't get there until 2200 or later. Complicating the

Paddling up Lewis Channel

plan was the closure of the park road between West Thumb abd Old Faithful. The GPS still indicated that our best route was through the park (Bridge Bay-Canyon-Norris-Madison (CG was full)) and out through W. Yellowstone. There were some slow vehicles and one "elk jam" but we reached W Yel by 1700 and got gas (3.739). We headed N on 191 for the mostly-scenic drive to Belgrade. We ate a fast-food dinner at Burger King and then got on I-90 and drove to Missoula. It was after 2200 when we got there and were greeted by a sign at the Walmart entrance saying that the city had prohibited overnight "RV camping" in the parking lot. Fortunately no one was taking the prohibition seriously and we joined the more than a dozen rigs spending the night. We were definitely ready for some rest.

Indian Paintbrush at Lake Overlook, YNP

5 Sep, Fri - We got up at 0730, had cold cereal for breakfast and bought a few supplies at Walmart (thanks for the free camping, Walmart!). We tanked up at the Costco on the way to I-90. The GPS showed there were no more turns until we reached North Bend. But we stopped for a break in Wallace, ID, to check out the old buildings, some predating the big 1910 fire that we had read about. We walked around a couple of blocks of the historic downtown, climbed the Old South Stairs and hit the road again. We stopped in Coeur d'Alene for gas at Costco, took at break at a rest area above Sprague Lake and were back home around 1700.

Blanchard Bash 2014

6,7,8 June 2014

**Under Construction**

This year there was no earlier-scheduled Bash that got canceled due to snow or other inclement weather. In 2014 the event date was set to coincide with the DNR Trails Day so that there would be a large turnout to impress the Department of Natural Resources. Mission accomplished: of the 90 volunteers who signed in for the work party, I counted about 50 pilots and friends. Flying was good after work and got better the later it got. C.J. and I camped at Jeff and Stacy Beck's with two other A-frames and a bunch of other RVs, trailers and tents. It was a big weekend for eating as we went out Friday night to the Chuckanut Manor for the seafood and prime rib buffet, Saturday night was the big potluck, and breakfast Sunday consisted of blueberry pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs cooked on the charcoal firepit.

6 Jun, Fri - We didn't get started until 1015 (and still forgot several items) but we made it to Burlington for gas at Costco and a stop for cash at a BofA ATM. Stacy helped us into a small spot between some of the big cedars, leaving room near the fence where we had parked the last two years for expected big rigs like Mike Daily's. Murdoch and Jan offered us a ride to the top with Sid, and, later, gave us a ride back to the Becks. It would have been nice to have an hour of soaring the way folks who launched at 1800 had but we flew earlier so that we'd have time to get cleaned up to go to dinner. We both got to thermal and climb over launch but then lost the lift and ended up with 20 minutes or less. After cleaning up and changing clothes C.J. and I drove down to Chuckanut Manor where we had reservations for 1930. We had a table for two right against a window looking out on the Bay. We ordered a drink (Porch Swing for C.J. and a dark stout from Bellingham for me) and then loaded our plates with salads, shrimp cocktail, salmon, oysters and prime rib. There was no need to be concerned that the restaurant would stop bringing out more food - the serving trays were still full when we left at 2100. To really fill (overfill) any empty spaces, the NY cheesecake and Kahlua chocolate mousse cake were irresistible. Back at Becks Jeff had kindled (read, used propane blowtorch to ignite a stack of split logs) a fire in the BBQ pit and that drew a crowd, even from the tight-knit group around Murdoch and Jan's new 1958 travel trailer. It never got cold but we were ready for bed way before the diehards left the campfire.

7 Jun, Sat - Since we were meeting the DNR at the lower trailhead at 0900 we needed to get up at a reasonable hour, fix breakfast and get on the move. We gave Janet and Joris, Blackcomb PG guides back when we flew there in the 90s, a ride. The parking lot was already full but I double parked and hoped that no one would need to leave before I did.  REI wasn't a sponsor this year but there were lots of Costco snacks for the 90 or so folks from the foot launch community plus the mountain bike, backcountry horsemen and trail runner contingents. Fifty or so of us pilots and friends went up to launch to weedwhack and generally spruce up the area. The big job was to move all the branches from the large trees that had been cut a few days prior down in front of the west launch. C.J. borrowed a hard hat and went down there while I puttered around the overlook area. We were running out of things to do about the time Matty set up to do a tandem with a DNR official. When he soared, people began to put away tools and get out the wings. C.J. and I hung out for a while then went down to the lower trailhead for the lunch. Guy and Sid were cooking up sausages and burgers on Guy's BarBeChoo,  and there were fruit salads, chips, soft drinks and fresh cookies. After lunch we went back up and C.J. flew. It didn't look all that soarable so I drove down to pick up C.J., Chris A. and John Schneebeck. We went back to launch and this time when C.J. got 100-200 ft over launch I took off also. I found the same lift to the right of the west launch and thermaled up enough to be on top of the stack for a short time. Then the lift seemed to shut off and I ended up in the LZ with only 15 min of airtime. Fortunately Beth wanted to go back up for another flight (she had driven down after Ernie flew) so I could ride up with them while C.J. and Chris went to Becks by a somewhat roundabout route with Vince. By the time I had retrieved the Sorento down the dusty road food was being brought out for the potluck and Jeff was starting to cook the chicken and salmon. There was a great assortment of tasty food - more than enough to feed everyone. Jeff and Stacy had acquired more picnic tables and patio seating this year - we didn't need our folding chairs at all. Later, just before dark, Jeff torched off the huge bonfire and there was no reason for anyone to feel chilly at all. We went to bed around 2230 but had some trouble getting to sleep because the guy parked just behind us was running his noisy truck engine on and off until after 2300.

8 Jun, Sun - We slept in a little later and then heated up some water for tea and cocoa. Pretty soon Jeff had a charcoal fire going and had volunteers flipping blueberry pancakes and making scrambled eggs and sausages. There was also some of the yummy fruit salad left over from lunch. Another delicious Blanchard Bash breakfast! Well before noon we returned to launch and found Jeff, Lenny and Tom Johns setting up their hang gliders. They launched and had short flights. I guess they then went to BJ with other hangies and got great flights (to 6200 ft, I heard). Mattie launched with another DNR official and managed a soaring flight from the south launch. Wayne Maxwell also got up and milked the lift for a good long flight. Pretty soon the wind clocked around and came up the west launch so everyone moved over there. Even later I went to look at the south launch and it was working again so I carried my stuff back there with C.J.'s help. Everyone was very helpful and encouraging - I was definitely in line to be the sacrificial wind dummy. And that's what happened - a good cycle got me in the air but then there was no sustaining lift at all and I had a seven-minute flight. Joelle launched after me and also had a sledder. Then there was a long wait before conditions improved. Eventually I got a ride up with local hang pilot Sean. C.J was just launching as I got to the Overlook and she found good but somewhat rough lift to 1000 ft over. I drove down and ate lunch then packed up the trailer. I left a message with C.J. and she called when she landed. The plan was to meet her at Colony road with the car and trailer. When I got there she was just arriving in a convertible sports car. It must have been after 1600 when we started home, Since there was little traffic we made good time and were home by 1730 or so. We were sorely in need of a shower and some rest but it had been a great weekend.

C.J.'s Birthday Weekend

30 May-1 Jun

Mount Blum from near Swift Creek

 The plan was to try out my new Washington State Veteran's ID Card to get free camping at state parks. We'd go early Friday so there should be lots of sites available. When we arrived and found out the reality of fair-weather spring weekends at popular camping parks like Larrabee near Bellingham, we had to make some hard choices. Fortunately the weekend turned out as good or better than the original plan.

30 May, Fri - We loaded the kayak and our flying gear and left around 1015 which put us at Larrabee State Park on Chuckanut Drive about 1230. Even before entering the gate we spotted the "camp area full" sign. We were totally astounded and drove through one of the loops - there were many vacant sites but all had "reserved" markers on them. Talking with a ranger we found out that most of the popular campground allow all sites to be reserved. We considered Bay View SP maybe 30 miles south but when I called the reservation number I found out that no same-day reservations are accepted. The ranger had suggested Cama Beach or Camano Island SPs as possibilities but they were far away from the flying at Blanchard. Also we would miss an opportunity to have a birthday dinner at Chuckanut Manor, bummer! After much discussion we decided to try Baker Lake where there were many USFS campgrounds and there would be kayaking on the lake (and have the BD dinner next week at the Blanchard Bash). Sure enough, the two CGs we looked at had plenty of sites and we found a really good one with a view of snowy Mount Blum at Swift Creek CG. (which

Mt. Blum  from our campsite

may have been once known as Baker Lake Resort.) After quickly setting up the trailer, we drove over to the boat ramp and launched our kayak. Without thinking much about it we headed north (east, actually) downwind, first paddling up the Swift Creek inlet a short distance then heading across a large bay eventually reaching Shannon Creek CG (after a pit stop at a place where hatchery fish are introduced to the lake). We went a bit farther but not quite to the end of the lake, probably about three miles, far enough that we were able to have a view of Shuksan as well as Mt. Baker. Returning was not as easy: the afternoon valley flow was strongly up lake. It wasn't quite white capping but we had to work hard to maintain 5.5kph or more (where before we had been making 7.0 easily, going downwind). Back at Swift Creek we pulled into the swimming beach just a short walk from our campsite (#39, if we ever want to reserve it) and carried our boat up rather than put it back atop the Sorento. We were pretty pooped and C.J. was happy to have a simple pre-cooked meal to prepare, but we didn't stay up too late partying.

31 May, Sat - Even though it got light early, we slept in till after 0800. Once we finished breakfast we felt

Mount Baker

recovered enough to at least think about a short paddle out to where we could see the morning light on Baker. We had carried the boat only a short ways when another camper asked if C.J. would be upset if he volunteered to carry her end of the kayak. Not a chance! We paddled straight out toward the far shore so we could look back at Baker; it was a magnificent view. Then we continued across, and south along the east bank. Once we were far enough out in the lake we also had a view of Shuksan. Most of the way the shore was steep and overgrown but about 2.5 mi down there was a flatter area and we could spot the Baker Lake Trail and maybe a place to camp. Shortly after that we met a kayaker coming from the dam who was planning to camp there. A short distance farther on, we recrossed the lake looking for a place to stop and have a snack. On this shore it was mostly marshy so we started back north until we found a nice sandy beach - an obvious boat-in campsite. After sharing a granola bar we were getting back into the boat when C.J. stepped into a deep spot and fell in the water up to her neck. We didn't have much in the way of extra clothes but fortunately (good planning) she was wearing synthetics which could be rung out and shaken mostly dry. [The fortunate part was that the day was sunny and warm and we would be paddling with the wind.] We cruised by Panorama Point CG where we saw a couple of nice sites with views. Back at the swimming beach, the same guy showed up to help us move the boat back to our site. [Really, we should have thought to bring the kayak cart with us.] After lunch and a rest we took the car a few miles back down

Bunchberry

Baker Lake Road to a 1/2-mile interpretive trail called Shadow of the Sentinels. That certainly didn't wear us out so we drove down to see what the Puget Sound Energy-run Kulshan campground near the dam looked like. Same price ($18, but only $7.50 for seniors, military and ?), not as secluded, not on the lake, more of an RV camp but no electricity although there seemed to be water and sewer. We continued on and found ourselves crossing the high dam on a narrow one-lane road. A mile beyond the dam we turned around at the trailhead for the Baker Lake Trail. We didn't know how far along the road went before it was blocked by snow but we figured that even if we could drive all the way up to the old hang glider launch, the trail to Anderson Butte or Watson Lakes would be snowy. We had a pleasant dinner outside - no bugs, no bees, and mild temps.
1 Jun, Sun - Figuring that we had had enough exercise we headed for home fairly early. We stopped for gas at Costco in Burlington (3.719) and then went in to get an ice cream bar. None were available so we went over to the TV section and talked to the salesguy who showed us a Vizio M-series smart LED TV that had just become available. Since I had been looking at a cheaper E-series and this one wasn't much more expensive, we decided to get it and replace our old 21-in Panasonic CRT TV. We got some fruit as well then drove in light traffic all the way home. It was early enough that C.J. had time to work in the garden and I weed-whacked the swamp (still not dry enough to mow). Later I removed the old TV and set up the new one.

2 Jun, Mon - We had an appointment with Comcast to install our new Xfinity internet and phone service between 0800 and 1000 so we got up earlier than usual. Naturally Bob, the cable guy, didn't show up until closer to 1000. It's a good thing we were planning to also sign up for "limited basic" cable for the TV because Comcast used the coaxial cable that Dish was using so we've lost our TV for the moment. However, with the smart TV we can watch free TV shows via the internet. We've got a great deal of about $50 per month for high speed internet and phone service which includes caller ID and free long distance and a way to send text messages for free on our mobile devices with an app. That price is good for two years then it'll be much more expensive but right now it's considerably less expensive than Century Link and AT&T. Later I was all set to begin putting a new coat of stain on the deck when I found some more rotten boards and spent most of the day replacing those and doing some mowing. C.J., of course, was working in the garden.

Bear Creek Mountain, Goat Rocks Wilderness

Aug 4-6, 2013

Wildflowers near Chinook Pass

It's been decades since I've visited the Goat Rocks; it would have been my first trip with Explorers Caravan back in 1966 (?) when we packed into McCall Basin. This trip was partly inspired by a report of the XC pilots flying from Bethel Ridge above Rimrock Lake. Then, when I was in the library, the hiker's kiosk had a book about the best wildflower hikes in Washington. I glanced at it thinking about returning to Mt. Rainier where the wildflowers had been so good at Paradise, but my eye was caught by a hike to a mountaintop with a view into the Goat Rocks as well as a more distant, but still close, view of Rainier and Adams. C.J. thought it sounded good even if the distance was right about at the limit of what her healing foot could take. The predicted wildflower peak season was the last week of July to the first weeks of August, so we were right on the best time.

4 Aug, Sun - We decided to leave on Sunday afternoon to avoid the crowds and take our time. Allowing four or five hours gave us plenty of time to stop at Costco Covington for gas and lunch, and also make stops at scenic pullouts along the way. The weather cooperated nicely with warm but not hot temps, and blue sky

Clear Creek Falls

with some afternoon towering cumulus development. Our first scenic stop was at the Palisades viewpoint on US 12 not far from its intersection with SR 123. At White Pass we pulled off the highway for a quick glance at the ski slopes before starting back down. We passed White Pass CG (at Leech (!) Lake) and stopped to drive through the small CG at Dog Lake with Spiral Butte above. At Clear Creek Falls we wandered alongside the fence above the quite spectacular falls. In the distance we could see part of Rimrock Lake and our first view of Kloochman Rock, a jagged, 1200-ft-high cleaver written about by Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas in Men and Mountains. We turned off US 12 on to FS 1200 Tieton Res. Rd. and then took the left fork to Clear Lake CG North. There were two small campgrounds across the street from each other and we chose the one that had no other campers. C.J. and I had decided that for a one or two night stand in summer weather it didn't make sense to take the Aliner, so we quickly set up the tent and put on the rain fly in case the overdeveloped cu's decided to drop some rain. Then we took a scouting drive past the Clear Lake Dam and the Clear Lake CG South (where we saw a sign for potable water). Back on FS 1200, we drove down to Rimrock Lake passing the turnoff for Section 3 Lake which would take us to the trailhead for tomorrow's hike. The drive was somewhat disappointing because the road was separated from the lake by a wooded ridge so the views were not spectacular until we reached the shore. Then we could see a couple of nice islands, Goose Egg Mtn and glimpses of Kloochman. We could also see Bethel Ridge in the distance. Passing the long emergency airstrip (looked like a good LZ) we returned to US 12 and turned west back toward camp. The road ran along Rimrock Lake for much of the distance and we stopped once to read the history of the dam that impounds the lake and provides irrigation water to the Yakima valley. Back at camp C.J. prepared a surprise dinner of stir-fried fresh veggies, garlic, bacon and parmesan cheese (in lieu of the carefully prepared sauce left behind in the refrigerator) served with angel hair pasta. The bugs and bees were a bit of a nuisance and we ended up hiding out in the tent before it was fully dark. Fortunately the temperature cooled right down in the evening and the conditions were right for sleeping.

5 Aug, Mon - Thinking that we had a fairly long drive to the trailhead followed by a fairly long hike (for us), we started getting ready around 0630. I heated up some water for tea and cocoa but we had cold cereal instead of taking the time to make and clean up oatmeal. The route started off as good gravel (FS1205), became gravel with water bars (FS1204) and then became big, angular gravel for the last few miles. Somewhere along the route we were surprised by three large female elk bounding across the road in front of us. On a sidehill stretch of the road we took a couple photos of a snaggletoothed extension of Pinegrass Ridge before finding the parking area empty at Section 3 Lake/Bear Creek Mountain trailhead (1103). I think we were there by 0830 and on the trail at 0845 but the first mile was slow-going as we climbed a few hundred feet through the forest, almost immediately passing into the Goat Rocks Wilderness. The next mile was mostly at the same elevation through forest and meadow. We crossed Bear Creek at two miles amidst a profusion of wild flowers and began to climb through rocky and sandy/ashy scree gaining 1000 ft in less than a mile to the ridgecrest. Once on the ridge the trail wended through scrub pines with a view southwest to the

Mt Gilbert from Bear Crk Mtn

G climbing to ridge

Goat Rocks and Mt. Adams. Once we had reached the rocky summit the view opened to the northwest where Rainier dominated the horizon. Both the major volcanoes were partly shrouded in clouds but Mt. Gilbert, Ives Peak and Old Snowy were clear in the near distance (about four miles). We signed the summit register and noted that there had been a bunch of people up there the day before. While eating lunch (a little early since we had reached the summit by 1130), we were joined by the only other hiker to climb to the top (and his young dog). After trying to take a panorama photo with my phone camera, we started back down - much easier at first but then more difficult as my knee began to hurt and C.J.'s foot likewise. Nevertheless, we were back at the car by 1545 - about 6 hours to do 7 miles, but that's including 45 minutes of lunch and summit time. Along the way, at Bear Creek, I tried to purify some water with my SteriPen Traveler but the power light did not illuminate - perhaps the batteries were too old. I last used the SteriPen in Arizona when we were down there staying at Pine Top and Flagstaff. [Should have checked the batteries before dumping out the last of my water.] We met one other couple on the trail about a mile from the trailhead and ran into the guy and his dog who had taken a cross-country route down from the summit.
On the way back to camp we tried to find the water faucet at the south Clear L CG and finally noticed that there was a pump. Unfortunately it produced pretty brown water so we would use it only for washing. We also stopped at the Clear Lake dam and walked to the shore - nice lake! Back at camp we heated a pan of water and hung up the solar shower so we could rinse the day's sweat off. Dinner was soup and salad - could have used some cold beer, for sure, after that long, dry hike. We relaxed in our little camp chairs before the bugs got bad until we were ready to get some sleep.

6 Aug, Tues - Since there wasn't any great rush, we got up a little later and by the time we had oatmeal cooked there was some sun in the campsite. We were still on the road shortly after 0900 and headed for

Clear Lake Falls

closer views of Kloochman Rock. On the way we stopped at the falls just below the Clear Lake dam, and checked out some alternate camping sites. Various maps, paper and electronic showed us a route to the east side of Kloochman [FS 1202, 571, 570 and unnamed spur]

NW spires of Kloochman Rock

and we drove on steadily narrowing roads until we reached the end. Apparently there is no close approach to the base of Kloochman on a road. We had to settle for glimpses of one section or another of the rocky ridge. When we returned to US 12 we turned east and almost immediately came to the turnoff for Bethel Ridge (A sign indicated that FS road 1500 went all the way through to SR 410 (at Nile) but it looked like a long drive on gravel.). By the time we had reached the junction with 410 we were in a more typical dry E WA ecosystem with lots of columnar basalt lava flows. According to Roadside Geology of Washington Cleman Mtn is a tightly folded anticline and 410 runs in the syncline between it and the next ridge to the south. Our first stop was just

G in Boulder Cave

beyond Cliffdell at Boulder Cave and picnic area (USFS). There were a surprising number of cars in the small parking lot considering that it was a Tuesday but we were lucky enough to have the 400-yd-long cave to ourselves. It was 0.25 mi or more uphill paralleling a deep slot canyon to the cave entrance. The cave resulted from the collapse of a big chunk of undercut lava flow and the stream still flows along the floor of the cave. Farther along 410 we stopped at a viewpoint for Fife Peak (Tom Fife was a local miner according to the information posted). Around 1300 we reached the Chinook Pass area and it looked like we were definitely back in the crowds we had experienced last week in Mt. Rainier National Park. Still, we found a place to pull off the road almost beneath the pedestrian overpass/entrance arch to the park. We grabbed lunch and our "sit-upons" and headed down the PCT trail toward Tipsoo Lakes. Wildflowers were present in profusion and we selected a place to sit in a little meadow where we could enjoy the color of glacier lilies, magenta paintbrush, pasque flowers, lupines and many others. [The loop trail around Naches Peak looks like a good bet this time of year for a reasonable (4.5 mi) wildflower hike without any major ascents or descents. Parking is also available at Tipsoo Lakes.] Back in the car we drove down the switchbacks on the west side of Chinook Pass remembering why it wasn't advisable to attempt to ski that road. We took the detour around the east side of Enumclaw to avoid city traffic. We stopped to shop, get gas and buy an ice cream bar at Costco and then headed for home arriving around 1600.