Urban Outcast Music: Whitehouse Road by Tyler Childers.
It might have been a bit behind schedule but the little man made his wilderness debut with a camping trip at the confluence of the North Fork of the Skykomish River and Troublesome Creek. This adventure was supported by the DeForest crew (childcare is also an acceptable form of sponsorship if you pass a background check).
Friday night got off to a strong start with the Perseids meteor shower putting on a fun display which included the first meteor I have seen that was clearly green and another that left an impression on my retina it was so bright. Saturday was pretty wet but the little man was a champ and had no idea his father timed it so poorly that this was the only real rain since June and he wouldn't see it again until September...
Troublesome Creek campground turned out to be a beautiful home base. Just upstream was evidence of some retro mining wedged between two boulders (sluice box frame and drain pipe maybe?). There was also an active claim marker just a little further upstream. Left the gold pans at home and missed the opportunity to add claim jumper to my resume.
Sunday brought the main event with an attempt to scamper up to Troublesome Creek's source, Blanca Lake, and be back in time for lunch so as to not push my point balance into default. With road washouts, the hike begins two miles before the actual trail for a total of 12 miles and a 3,550' gain.
Those stats would have made for a fun jaunt last season. This year I was older, heavier, and in no way stronger. Good thing I had brought along a Mountaineer and a mushing harness for my hound.
With a lot of positive coaching we eventually peaked along a cool knife ridge and dropped down to the lake. Even with the low cloud deck it was spectacular. The Columbia Glacier was just out of sight above the clouds at the back of the lake but a few of the snow fields below it are visible. I did include one photo from a more adventurous blogger (Thirst 4 Adventure) to give you a sense of the surroundings:
On the way down I tried the unthinkable and tumbled towards the road at a rapid pace. The trail had filled up by that time and an untold number of hikers had a brief scare before realizing there was no stampede of drunken bovine headed their way. Just an oxygen starved, uncoordinated urbanite out for a Sunday jog... I viewed stairs with dread for three days but it was worth it.
Urban Outcast Music: Universal Sound by Tyler Childers. Just heard this one as I was writing, Tyler deserves two tracks.