A few weeks ago, Christy and I and our friend Shane went to the Opal Creek Wilderness in central Oregon. It is a wonderful area full of ancient old-growth forests that was just saved from logging about 15 years ago.
Opal Creek, due to the unique geology in the area, is a swimming paradise, full of waterfalls and deep pools. We made a video of our trip, which you can see below.
Christy and I and ten friends went out to Siouxon Creek (the location of our first backpacking trip) to hang out for a long weekend, run amuck and swim. Unfortunately, the weather never really cooperated, staying cloudy and chilly all four days. Nonetheless, it was most enjoyable.
In the middle of June, Christy and I and four other friends drove four hours north to the Olympic National Forest. It's in the northwest corner of Washington on the Olympic Penninsula, and plays host to the only rain forest in the United States. I had read about a place called the Enchanted Valley, a deep valley cut through the Olympic mountains, full of hundreds of black bears, large herds of elk, and some of the most beautiful and rugged landscapes we can get to in a day's drive from Portland.
We left early Friday morning, drove the four hours, made it to the trailhead, cooked some lunch on our stoves, and began the walk.
Three miles in, we made it to the first milestone of the 13.5 mile hike into the valley named "Pony Bridge", giving us our first glimpse of the gray-blue water of the South Fork Quinault River, the river that formed the valley.
Resting a few more miles along the trail:
Eight miles in along the trail, we met our first bears! There was a mother and an adolescent cub grazing in a field, standing directly on the trail. It took us a lot of banging of sticks and yelling at the bears to get them to casually saunter off to the side of the trail so we could pass.
Another couple miles along, we ran across a momma bear and two very young cubs. The sow jumped from the tree the three of them were climbing and guarded the trunk while the little ones climbed higher and higher.
Finally, we made it to the valley, 14 miles and 8 hours later. This is one of the most beautiful areas I'd ever seen, slapping me in the face with the gorgeousness and grand scale of the area. Hundreds of waterfalls cascade down five thousand feet cliffs to the west, and grasslands spread across the valley floor. And, there's a chalet built in the 1930's as a resort, now used in the summer by the Park Service.
It was cloudy when we arrived on Friday, but when we woke up Saturday, the weather had lifted. This is what we woke up to:
My friend and groomsman James and I went on a dayhike to see the rest of the valley on Saturday, while Ben (our officiant), Christy, Kyra, and Jillian stayed at camp for the day.
James crossing a creek:
We quickly met more bears:
Christy and I at the camp:
And posing in front of a bear:
Ben and Jillian:
Kyra and Christy:
Bears love grass. They are more cows of the forest than vicious killers and trouble-makers.
This was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and will likely go to until Christy and I hike 200 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail starting September 1st.
Three weeks ago, Christy & I went on another backpacking trip, this time with our friends James & Kyra. All told, it was a 16 mile, two-day trip and cumulatively gained about 7000 feet of elevation. Needless to say, it was pretty grueling.
We hope you enjoy the photos!
The stove is hissing in the vestibule, heating up water for coffee. I'm munching on baguette and Port Salut cheese, wishing Christy would wake up. It's 8am; she'll be awake at 11:30. Get used to it Kyle, this is a microcosm of the rest of my life.
Christy and I went on our first backpacking trip together this weekend, an easy 4 miles each way along Siouxon Creek in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest located in southern Washington.
We got a late start; our friends had invited us out to a party with an open bar and casino night sponsored by a local brewery. Christy, in cahoots with the blackjack dealer, made away like a bandit. The imaginary wealth she cheated her way into bought us three cases of 22-ounce bottles of beer. Needless to say, our fridge is now stocked and our livers more damaged.
Fending off our morning hangover with bagels and coffee, we got a late start to the forest Saturday morning. We made it to the trailhead around 2 o'clock after an hour-and-a-half drive. The weather was 62ºF and sunny, enough to cure anyone's hangover (with a little Advil).
Christy battled the plethora of adjustments on her new backpack as we walked past waterfalls, two-hundred-year-old logs that had new trees growing from them, ferns and moss blanketing the forest floor, and fields of clovers so bright green you wonder if they're mutant. After the four mile hike and a treacherous, slick-rock creek crossing, we found an excellent camp spot, a tree-covered raised platform at the confluence of two creeks, in sight of a gentle waterfall.
Having miles of wilderness in every direction until the next closest person is incredibly purifying and liberating. We made the best of it by building a rather excellent fire if-I-do-say-so-myself and a gourmet dinner of mizithra vegetable pasta. We said goodnight to the moon around eight o'clock, hung our food in a tree, put out the fire, and retired to the tent.
So here I am, eight o'clock in the morning. It's pouring rain outside the tent and I'm dreading having to step outside to start the hike back. Christy is asleep and won't be awake for hours, and I can't imagine wanting to be anywhere else than right here.
This was the first trip of many we plan to take throughout the spring and summer, training for our 200 mile backpacking honeymoon in September. We plan to post about our future adventures and keep a running total of our miles hiked leading up to the big one.