[jenjen]

On Saturday, the 27th, I met Bushwacker at 4:30 am and we headed over Stevens Pass in light snow. The road was a little slick, but not too hairy. We got into Chelan in plenty of time to get breakfast at the Apple Cup Cafe before we had to catch the boat. The boat left at 10:00 and we got into Stehekin around 12:20. The coolest part of the boat ride was seeing a bear sow with 2 cubs. The crew stopped the boat so everyone could get a really good look. This was the only big critter sighting on the trip. By the time we got to Stehekin the clouds were breaking up, and it was cool and windy. We hiked back along the lake and made camp at Hunt's Bluff - gorgeous sight but dry. Make sure you water up at Hunt's creek before the trail climbs up the bluff. Sunday we day hiked over to Moore Point. Wow, what a difference. I was last through this area 4 years ago and it looks totally different after the fire. It felt kinda spooky, like walking through a grave yard almost. The campsites that were at Moore Point were destroyed, they now have camping right along the Lakeshore trail in the old orchard. The original bridge is gone, replaced with a solid footlog with a railing. The meadowy sort of area on the other side of Fish Creek that had some nice hidden campsites has been obliterated by a debris flow. There are big yellow signs all over the place warning hikers to not "dilly dally" (their words) in the drainages. They aren't kidding. There is a clearing with a dirt road leading to it right on the trail and we couldn't tell if someone was building a cabin or they were building a new campground. Lots of deer and bear sign, but we didn't see anything other than a lizard, some chipmunks, crows, and grey jays. The weather was gorgeous - sunny, not a cloud in the sky, just enough of a breeze that I wore my precip when I wasn't actually moving. Monday we hiked back into Stehekin with plenty of time to explore the town a bit. The public showers are open (I didn't take a shower, I would have just had to get back into my stinky clothes) and the bakery doesn't open until mid-May . We had hamburgers that tasted just wonderful, boarded the boat, and got back into Chelan around 4:45. The weather was gorgeous again - warm and breezy. The clouds started coming in while we were on the boat. We stopped at Kristal's in Leavenworth for pie (peach for me, cherry for Bushwacker). The flowers are starting to come out. Balsam root is blooming, lupine is showing its leaves, Indian paintbrush is starting to color up, Queen Anne's lace is coming out... In a month the trail will be a blaze of color. The trail is in good shape, but its kind of faint in spots through the burned area because it hasn't seen much traffic in the last few years. No rattle snakes yet. I didn't see any poison oak near the trail. This was a truly great and mellow trip. I'll be heading back in mid-May to do the Prince creek stretch.

[Bushwacker]

As Jen said it was a great time. We had the trail all to ourselves. The only people we saw in three days was when we started out on Sat. They had been dayhiking and were on the way out. The campsite offered up views in all directions. Also adding to the trip was my new buddy and trail guide...Buster!!!! Nice time, great weather, and I even had PIE!!! Here are a few pics. BW

Mountain Reflection

My Buddy...Buster

Castle Rock

[Allison]

Nicely done, you two!

[Quark]

Yah, I thought about you Saturday 'cause it was windy & I hoped you'd stay away from the burn area with all those widow-makers hanging overhead. Sounds like a great trip. Nice to see a trip report from a different area for a change.

[kiliki]

Nice report and pics. Do you see different scenery on the trail than you do from the lake? I guess I mean, does the trail go significantly above or away from the lake, or does it stay low hugging the lake shore?

[jenjen]

The scenery from the lake always seems very stark to me, sort of bare and rocky. When you're on the trail you find all sorts of nice little meadows and ferny grottos and neat pockets. The trail goes from next to the shore to a good 500' above the water line, so its up and down. Its a pack trail, tho, so the grades are always gentle. The trail also goes inland quite aways in spots, so the scenery isn't always the same. You pass alot of private cabins, which is kind of fun cause you can imagine what they would be like to live in. Yeah, the burned area was weird. 4 years ago I camped near Moore point and I kept wandering around looking for something that looked familiar. It's really changed. We were very careful to set up the tents way away from any burned trees. There are all sorts of itty-bitty trees coming up, and the flowers will be absolutely spectacular. It's going to be neat seeing the area re-grow.

[kiliki]

Cool, thanks.

[Stefan]

Sigh. (That is the sound of my jealousy.)