[Allison]

I this thread. Just sayin'!

[Kozaroza]

[Allison]

[Damian]

I too have a soft spot in my head for that place.

[back_to_basics]

Do they have a forum in here for people into camping and fishing? With a progressive back disability, hiking is very limited for me. I'd enjoy meeting easy going, stable, mellow people to fish and camp with. It got old going with people who complained most of the time. Suggestions? Thanks!

[back_to_basics]

Tackle, night crawlers, a six pack of something and some humor doesn't hurt either M or F ok Skagit/Snohomish/Whatcom counties

[Damian]

BtB- there are plenty of folks on this site interested in fishing and 6 packs. Toss out a post or two in the Partner's forum and see what bites. Good luck and let us know how it goesl

[back_to_basics]

Thank you Damian. Should you run across people seeking the same scenario, please point them in this direction. Fishing season's right around the corner. Would be great to meet like-minded people. Thanks again!

[ladydi]

I went out to Garland today to see the springs for the first time. We came in the back way: Skykomish to Beckler Rd to FS Rd 65 then West on the Index Galena Rd. There are signs stating local traffic only and Rd closed, but we went around them There is a gate just before the Garland access Rd. I expected to only find nature out in Garland, but lo and behold, there was construction!! This is what you see as you approach from the access Rd:

This is sadly what is left of the pool and lodge foundation

This is the head of the mineral spring. I didn't notice more than one discernible spring. It looks like the main spring just flows down quite a ways and then into the river. I had never seen a mineral spring before and was thrilled with all the bubbles and color. My sister-in-law said it looked like something out of Yellowstone. I did wade in the spring and it wasn't warm, but not as cold as the river.

As for the construction - (we didn't get to look at the cabins as they were in the hard hat area - must remember to bring my hard hat the next time I go hiking) The PUD was in there drilling a deep water well. I found that very interesting. The guy we spoke with said they weren't doing any type of preservation of the spring and once they were done, they would restore the site as it was when they arrived. I commented that it was too bad Fish and Wildlife wouldn't allow anyone to stop the river from taking over the springs and he said they were giving the PUD a hard time about the drilling. I am curious as to why they want to drill for water right at that very spot and hopefully it will not affect the natural spring. Otherwise, the area was clean and as long as were outside the drilling site, we were free to visit the spring. And I did wade in it.

[mgd]

Some clever entrepreneur (like the Angry Hiker) is probably attempting to bottle the water hot and then sell it at supermarkets so you don't have to drive all the way out there to have a hot mineral bath.

[Damian]

The Geothermal posts have been split into their own thread in the Stewardship forum. Keeping this thread focused on Garland HS and related history.

[rap]

The geothermal-drilling phase of Garland is as much a part of the history of the place as anything else. Garland is gone, as it was. Garland is here, as it is. Thirty years from now we will all remember the good old days when we used to sun ourselves in the shadow of the drilling rigs and rusty pipes. Boy, what a time we all had. By seporating Garland from the geothermal actions, you have killed the place. History is history, whether it is good or bad.

[rap]

The SnoPUD intends to use Garland as a base to drill under the Wild Sky Wilderness if they can get the ok from Senator Patty Murray. Earlier this year "PUD Government Director Jessica Matlock met with Senator Murray's office about geothermal drilling and the Wild Sky Wilderness, specifically sub surface drilling under the boundary in the future." That is a direct quotation taken from the minutes of the Feb. 2011 SnoPUD Commission meeting. Repeated E-mails to Matlock, Murray and Craig Collar inquiring about the meeting have not been returned. If SnoPUD will try to drill the Wild Sky, there is no end to their evil intentions. The media and environmental groups are once again silent.

[rejoicing1]

It's been a few years actually since I came onto this thread! WOW LOVE these photos of Garland. As I said some years ago, my sister in law's sister and husband owned Garland and I have fond memories living there one summer when I was a 14 year old gal....swam in the pool, and cleaned the cabins . Also worked a bit in the small coffee shop in the lodge. So glad to see these photos.

[merrillp]

Hello...well, for what's it's worth...I grew up visiting Garland Mineral Springs for many years (and many times a year, winter and summer). It was when I was 7 thru 12 yrs old and our family lived in N. Seattle (130th and Meridian). My dad did a lot of building (new construction and repairs) for the Sharpe's, for free cabin use and meals and my mother helped in the kitchen... my sisters helped (actually they mostly played and I fished). The river had tons of large trout in it for the taking...I would bring the fish back to the lodge and they fixed one for me and the lodge had a "fish" dinner special available. There were lots of times that we went up to Garland to help them clean up after floods, etc. The lodge basement (had showers, laundry rooms, boilers, storage, etc) and was quite a bit below grade and flooded often. The "hot" water from the springs (very hot water, 110 - 115 degrees, I took the temperature many times for the lodge) which was quite aways from the lodge pools(maybe 2-300 feet to the NE, over next to the county road. In my opinion, from being there and from hearing conversations and watching what went on after the "hot" water was ruined after the county decided to widen their road and used dynamite to blast the rock...the springs quit after their blasting. I know the Sharpe's tried running the lodge as a 'cold-water" retreat and they went broke from the loss of the "hot" water in my opinion and memory. Cam Sharpe would not sue the county because in my opinion, he felt suing was not the Christian thing to do. Also after that, a lot of things happened including almost annual flooding and then the fire and there was no money to repair things or prevent them from happening or lessing the damage. I lost several artifacts that were given to me and put in the lodge when it burned for the last time. One of Cam Sharpe's employees didn't think I should own these artifacts leftover from the gambling and speak-easy days on Mercer Island...we demolished a house on a large peice of property that was to be developed. The care-taker of the house gave the items to me because I was , he said" such a good worker. (I got a slot machine with quarters in it , a speak-easy in the style of a 30 radio and love letters I found behid a wall of one of the upstairs bedrooms, that most of them started with "My Dear Darling Dove" and were mushy...all gone in the fire. This Garland employee took them from me, to the lodge or I'd still have them today. I do miss those good old days. I turned 66 yesterday and stayed at Beckler campgound last night, then drove to Index this morning and then up the Index-Galena Rd to visit Garland and ran into the road damage (I had planned to drive up to Garland to see what had happened to it all these years, obviously not much good, so I went on-line and found your information. Very interesting information, thank you. Merrill