[Tim and Angel]

Well, I am a bit late but started the year with my annual tradition of hiking Lower Crab Creek and Dry Island. I think this is my fourth report on this area. Not much has changed since last visit. This may sound redundant but the advantage of hiking the same place often, I notice more and more details of the area. One of the things I noticed this time is the evidence of the numerous floods on the North side of the island...all the ripples etched in the landscape. No bugs, no snakes, no coyote..I didn't really see ANY wildlife this time. I didn't see another soul the entire day. The flowers are just starting to wake. This was 8.5 miles round trip. We started down the old railroad track and then scrambled to the north as soon as we were past the marsh area. We made it through the awesome maze of geological wonder to the top of Dry Island. Had tea using my trusty Jet Boil on the North ridge of the island. I could see the pile of cars still by the waterfall to the NE. We ventured another mile East and made it down to Sand Hollow Lake. It was incredibly desolate this time. I saw lots of bubbles surfacing. I don't know what causes that. We eventually made it to the truck and cabin. They are still there too. Does anyone know the story about this place? We finally made our way due South and passed a spot I marked on my GPS a year ago. I had no idea what it was but my hiking buddy says it was a mine. I always seem to underestimate how far the marsh area stretches North of the railroad track. This time was no exception. We found a narrow area to cross without getting too wet and muddy. After about 7 hours, we were back to the car. I would love to spend a week out here just goofing off and taking pictures. Maybe one day... Here are a few highlights for now...

Beautiful Landscape

Helium Balloon from miles away. Shoved it in my garbage pocket. LOL.

More awesome landscape on South side of Dry Island

I scratched my back with this and left it where I found it

Sand Hollow Lake

Dune going West from the lake to the cabin

Box Springs as a gate

Slowly but surely decomposing into the landscape

Cabin still there...

and still a mess on the inside

Abandoned mine?

[Scrooge]

Ah. Another Eastside archaeology buff. When I'm running the ridges around Wenatchee, I lovingly record the fading details of a not so distant past.

Garden gate

Losing the battle

Pack Trail history

Abandonned loader

Tim, you're obviously fascinated with places and things that most people never think of. Keep it up.

[Tim and Angel]

Hey Thanks, Scrooge! I have been really fascinated by Central and Eastern Washington over the last years. I was a Western WA "mountain only" hiker during the 90's and early 2000's. Embarrassingly enough, I had no idea just how awesome the other part of the state is (from my narrow perspective in Pugetopolis) until just a few years ago. Not being an arrogant 206-er, but just plain ignorant. In any event, geological interests, wide open space, historical artifacts, amazing landscapes just do it for me. I grew up in the South and spent a lot of time in the backwoods trail blazing and just goofing off. I discovered many "grown over" abandoned cabins, houses, churches, grave yards, bizarre artifacts that were long forgotten by the public decades, if not a century, ago. I suppose that interest never waned.

[GeoHiker]

Thanks for the report. I was thinking of heading that way tomorrow, so good to see it's starting to green up. See on the News wx a high of 77 in the Tri Cities for tomorrow, so might be just the ticket getting out of this rain. I don't see any mention of ticks, so they aren't out yet? I can't give you any info. on the cabin. That area used to be all farming long ago and you could 4x4 all through there. Once a popular duck hunting area. Nice buck shed, surprising to see it out in the open like that. Shed hunting has gone nuts, so you don't see them as often. It won't last long. I love finding long forgotten homesteads and seeing how people lived. Lots a great places through out E.WA. Maybe we'll get lucky and the tick population was killed off this winter. Every time I take Rocky out I spend days picking off ticks.

[Tim and Angel]

Thanks for the quick history, Geohiker. I did not see any ticks. Yeah, Angel got a few ticks a couple of years ago after roaming around out there but it was later in the season. If you go out there tomorrow there is a good chance you'll have it all to yourself. Fishing season just started as you know, Nunnally and Lenice were PACKED! The crowds seemed to be contained there.

[GeoHiker]

Good to hear the ticks haven't gone nuts. The past 5 years it's been miserable over there. Never used to be ticks like that. Lenice and Nunnally opened March 1, so it's usually a zoo on weekends in Spring. Bunch a lakes in the Seeps to the East open April 1st, so that's where I'll probably end up.

[Tim and Angel]

Yeah, that is a nice place this time of year too. I am probably going to spend a few days there relatively soon and deal with the crowds anyway. Are you familiar with fishing possibilities of Sand Hollow Lake? I heard there are walleye in there but never tested the theory.

[GeoHiker]

No I don't think I've fished Sand Hollow. There's some huge trout in Lower Crab Creek, but you need a canoe or kayak. Loaded with HUGE carp, so they mess up the fishing. It's been many years since I've fished in that area, so I'll have to make a run through there and check it out. Thanks for perking my interest.