Hiking and Camping

Okay, so I am going to backtrack a little...Memorial Day weekend...nearly two weeks ago...my husband and I headed to Seattle to meet my sister and her boyfriend for a weekend of hiking and camping. I got off work on Saturday and we headed over! It was a gorgeous day. My husband planned the trip. He is a really good trip planner. The one thing he does occasionally is under estimate distance and time...but other than that we have been on SEVERAL trips that have been great! As we left Spokane he mentioned that he was somewhat concerned about the campsite we were going to being filled or full..I told him not to worry, I thought it would be okay. So...on to Seattle...and as we went through the pass we stopped to check the parking lot and it was nearly empty...good sign. My concern was snow...Tim had talked to a ranger that said there was snow on the trail...but Tim took that to mean that snow was there...but not covering. So...we didn't think much about it. Got up Sunday morning and headed to our trail head. The plan was to hike with packs to our campsite...then camp overnight and hike back out. We were excited and all of us had some good weight on us. I would guess 20-25 lbs per person except my husband, his was heaviest...maybe 30 lbs.

The day was GORGEOUS...weather was sunny and cool...looked like it would warm up for the day. We arrived at the parking lot and it was still looking good for campsites. So we got all ready to go and started out. The trail was gorgeous...the scenery was spectacular...and as we hiked we had several people pass us...just on a day hike and headed up to the lake (our destination). So, we got to a point where people were coming back down...we asked if they made it to the lake, they said no...too much snow. We were still hiking on mud and dirt. As we hiked further we did hit snow...but it was on the trail and off to the side...not a completely covered ground...and as we hit snow we also hit a much steeper trail. We were still pretty pumped! Well the day went on, we kept hiking, the snow was getting more dense and people were still saying they didn't make it to the lake. We finally stopped and sent Tim ahead without his pack to check it out. We sat on the side of the mountain and ate gorp and ham and cheese wraps. It was great...but felt a little chilly after sitting there for awhile.

Tim returned and said...you aren't going to believe this, but we need to turn around and go back down...he had gone another 150 ft or so and came to a snow covered trail...no indicators as to where the trail was and the snow was significantly deeper. So...we packed it up and headed down. The trip down was intense...snow, slippery, with packs...but we made it. My sister and I had our hearts set on camping...but nothing was open or it was full in the mountains. So, we headed in to North Bend and Snoqualmie to see what we could find. We found a RV and Tent site...my husband's idea of a NIGHTMARE...but my sister and I were ready to find a place to camp...in our tent...with a campfire.