We woke to a beautiful day and hiked back up to the carpark where we left the car. It was a bit tricky negotiating our way through the 'crust', washes and rock to find our way back. We rearranged our packs so that we were only carrying water and snacks/lunch and then we drove to the Devil's Garden area and hiked the Devil's Garden loop.
The hike was tough going in parts and I particularly had to challenge myself as in some points we had to climb and walk out on narrow rock areas to view the arches. We hiked out to Dark Angel and had our lunch out there it was great because we were on our own. Then we started the loop back to the carpark. It was a relatively hard hike until we got to a certain point and it became extremely hard. We had been warned by a couple of hikers that the path up ahead was difficult and that we should take the right hand path. So when we came to a place where the path branched off toward the right we took that path and a young man followed us it turned out to be a dead end. So we headed back toward the path and when we got there an Italian couple we had met just after lunch was debating which way to go. We had come to a deep pool and the only way around it was steep rock on both sides so we needed to decide which was the easier way. People had told us to take the right side but it looked so difficult. Meanwhile the young Italian man had scrambled very quickly up the left hand side and his girlfriend was trying to follow, two young men followed him and then it was my turn. I had a fairly heavy pack on my back I realised pretty quickly that if I was going to make it I would just have to keep going and not stop. So I set off up this really steep rocky incline and set my mind to making it to the top. And I MADE IT on the first try!!!! I was so proud of myself but it just about killed me! David did it fairly easily and the young man that had followed us into the dead end needed lots of encouragement so I'm glad we were there.
We filled our water bottles when we got back to the carpark and headed back to the carpark at Sand Dune Arch to hike back in and camp for the night we had decided that we would like a different camping spot tonight but weren't sure if we would find one. We hiked in and found ourselves in a completely different spot which was amazing up on another rocky outcrop, we had to walk across an arch only we didn't realise it was an arch until we we got to the other side. That night there was a huge thunderstorm and we got to watch the whole thing from our rocky outcrop.
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| the view from our tent this morning |
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| Dark Angel |
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| Dave took a selfie - lying down at lunch :) |
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| trail marker |
Tuesday July 14th
We found it a bit difficult to find the way out again today but did manage. We left Arches NP to travel to Fishers Towers (if you have watched Todd Sampson on the ABC he climbed these in the last episode of his series on Brain Training). The scenery is amazing driving through this area and it looks like the river beside the road is flowing uphill. We stop in Moab to get some food and a coffee.
We find the campground and lookout and reserve a spot in the campground before going out for a hike to the lookout and then for an extended hike out to the towers. The scenery was spectacular and when we got back to camp a storm was brewing so we prepared our dinner and ended up eating it in the car while it rained. We were in bed early.
Wednesday 15th July
Today we head to Idaho I'm pretty excited as it is one state we have never been to before. To get there we drive back up the I 15 past Salt Lake City and I am torn I'd love to stop in and visit again but we have a big day and Idaho awaits.
Once in Idaho Falls we look for the campground which is a free campground provided by the city. Not sure if we will stay because we are just not sure that it will be suitable. We arrive midafternoon to find a beautiful grassy campground right on the river which appears to be flooding. I decdide to check out the toilets and this will be the clincher.........they are very clean and very suitable so we set up camp and head off to Walmart to get our dinners and stuff for all our camp nights. We have decided to eat out tonight and we have a delicious meal at Applebees. When we arrive back in the campground there are a few cars parked around with people sitting in them (lots of people 'car camp' mostly homeless) and there is a couple parked next to us. It's very quiet except for the occasional train whistle.
Thursday 16th July
Today we are heading to another camping opportunity at Lolo Springs, there is a hot springs pool there but it costs more on top of your camping fee, so we will see.
We visit the Craters of the moon site and it is amazing it looks like the ground is covered in dark chocolate and something has tried to push up from down below and cracked the chocolate. All the rocks are very light and black it's a hostile environment but some very pretty flowers survive here.
Once into Montana we try to find a more private hot spring but we can't find any so instead of staying where we first thought we would we just stay at a campground. It's ok and has a pit toilet.
It is a very cold night here and we are glad of our sleeping bags and extra liners.
Friday 17th July
Today we are heading up to Glacier National Park we will hike at the top of Logan Pass. The camp host at the campground where we stayed last night suggested we drive around the Eastern side of Flathead Lake to get to Glacier and visit a small town called Big Fork. So we take his advice and have coffee in a small cafe. It takes forever to get my coffee and by the time it comes I'm almost over it but the server is so sweet and we leave a good tip anyway.
On the way to Glacier it starts to rain .......no hiking today as by the time we get to Logan Pass the outside temperature is 36deg F or 3deg C for those playing in Australia. We rugged up and got out for a look at the visitors centre but soon retreated and ended up eating lunch in the car.
We drove down to Kalispell to stay the night, David had booked this hotel and the woman behind the counter was so excited to book us into one of the 'renovated' rooms. It was quite cute done in an Indian theme (the room next door was Cowboy LOL) It was ok but the wifi was woeful!!!! We haven't been able to skype anyone this holiday because we have stayed in a lot of campgrounds and when we have stayed in hotels the wifi has been patchy!!
We ate dinner tonight in a family restaurant with an extensive menu. We had spaghetti which was served with a salad and dessert all up for both of us dinner was $26.00!! crazy for the meal we had!
Saturday 18th July
We went for a nice run this morning and we are heading to Twisp to stay in a gorgeous B&B with Bill & Sandy Moody (we stayed there one night last year)
Driving along the highway this morning and I yawned and my left contact just popped right out onto my cheek!! not easy to stop on the Interstate and put it back in but we found a turnout and I replaced it after David kindly went to the boot to get my cleaning fluid. It was pretty funny but I'm so glad it landed on my cheek and not the floor of the car.
We stopped for lunch in Spokane it was so lovely at a place called The Yards.
On the way we visited Coulee Dam which was a major engineering feat of it's time and has 3 power generating units.
When we arrive at Methow Suites we are greeted by Bill & Sandy like long lost family :)
Sandy tells us that two of the stores in town have art on display tonight so we walk downtown with Bill & Sandy through their neighbours yard so as a joke I offer him a 50 cent peice as a 'toll' he thinks it's so cool and brings out a US dollar coin in return and I tell him we have those too. And when I show him he says "that would make the perfect golf marker" so I asked him "would you like it?" he loves it and hands back the 50 ha ha
Tonight we had dinner at the Twisp River Pub, delicious food and great beer. I even try the blueberry vodka.
Sunday 19th July
We get up early and go for a run through Twisp. At breakfast we talk to the other couple staying with Bill and Sandy, Susan & Sid they tell us the story of how the Carlton Complex fire affected them (this fire started in July last year and wiped out a whole town near Twisp). A lot of homes and structures were destroyed and acres of forest.
After breakfast Bill & Sandy take us to their church Methow Valley Covenant Community. It is a church about the same size as ours. The young people had recently been to Tennessee for CHIC an international youth event with Speakers such as Louie Giglio and singers such as Dave Crowder and Chris Tomlin. The young people all got up and spoke about how the event had touched them and we were so impressed we gave them a donation towards their costs as they were having a car wash on Saturday to raise the $1200 shortfall. The service was good and they even sang one song we know :) After church Sandy introduced us to some of her friends and a young man Daniel who has hiked to the PCT. He hikes on his own and shared a few tips with us. It was good to talk to someone who has done it.
After church we go back to the B&B and show Bill & Sandy our photobooks and chat to them about our trip. Sandy invites us to have dinner with them which is so sweet.
David and I drive downtown to visit the Interpretive Centre which is very interesting. It tells all the geological history of Twisp and some history of the local Indigenous population and also some narrative about the Carlton Complex Fire last year so we spend about an hour and half reading and watching videos.
Dinner is delightful and Jonathan (Bill & Sandy's grandson) joins us, he is an incredible young man and it is a very enjoyable evening. We really felt welcomed and part of the family.
Monday 20th July
We say goodbye to Sandy as Bill has had to leave very early to drive to Washington to consult on a fire down there (he is a smokejumper, supposedly retired LOL). Just before we leave a doe and her 2 fawns are grazing on the front lawn and Sandy comes to tell us so we can see them. Very cute but Mum is nervous so she herds them quickly away and up the hill behind the house.
The plan today is to drive to White Pass and check out the PCT access and the Kracker Barrel (a small gas station where hikers resupply as it's only 3/4 of a mile from the PCT) and stay at the campground at Ohanapecosh.
Driving through Washington is so beautiful, mountains and trees. We have lunch at McDonalds mostly for the wifi :) We get to White Pass and find the northern side of the trailhead and see where it comes onto the highway from the south. We see a young man come off the trail and start hiking toward the Kracker Barrel so we offer him a lift. His name is Alex and he is hiking the section from Crater Lake to Snoqualmie (sp). He is expecting to pick up a parcel from the Kracker Barrel. We drop him there and go in for a coffee and to check out the supplies in the shop. The cashier tells us that his parcel is not there and when we say goodbye to go she says "are you just leaving him here?" too funny so we explain that we just gave him a lift.
We drive down to Ohanapecosh campground only to find that it is full! We decide to drive the 12 miles back up to the PCT and hike in and camp. We are pleasantly surprised to find that there is a wilderness pass at the trailhead so will complete it and tie it to my pack. We hike in and were only going to hike for an hour as it's already 5:30pm but as we hike we realise that we may have to hike a bit further to find a suitable camping spot. After about an hour and forty five minutes we see a trail called the Chairlift Trail so we leave the PCT and hike up and up some more. Eventually we come over the crest of the mountain and there is the most beautiful view of Mt Ranier!! we camp right on the top underneath the chairlift it's a spectacular view.
It is quite cold and once we have eaten dinner we bundle up in our sleeping bags to sleep. It would have been pitch black except that there is a large floodlight on one of the lift staunchions.
Tuesday 21st July
We have a huge day driving to Crater lake but first we have to hike off the mountain. It takes us about an hour and a half to hike back down and we have to get gas so we go to the Kracker Barrel and Alex is there waiting for the mail truck that will hopefully have his package. We chat to him about his experiences on the PCT. Hopefully his package will arrive soon.
Because we chat for a while we are a bit behind schedule but it is so good to be able to talk to people and glean from their experiences.
It's a long and pretty boring drive to Crater Lake until we actually get there. At the North entrance the young man tells us that even though it is late we should be able to get a backcountry hiking pass from the Ranger station. When we arrive at the campground it's full so we drive up to the Ranger station to get a hiking pass. The door is locked but there is someone sitting behind the desk so I knock. The young Ranger comes out and tells us that they don't give out hiking passes after 5:30pm (it's about 6:30pm. (they are free and it takes 5 mins anyhow........) she gives us a sheet of paper with a map to the closest campgrounds other than the full one so we try Lost Creek campground and it is soon apparent that it is full too. As we are driving past a campsite with two young people occupying it the young woman smiles at us and David says "do you reckon they'd share?" so we stop and start to fill our water bottles at the tap opposite the campsite and David starts up a conversation telling them of our predicament and the young woman consults with her boyfriend and they say sure!!! So we share a site with Chelsea and Al a lovely young couple who are working at Bandon in Oregon at a Golf Course. We chat over beers and dinner, it is a lovely way to spend the evening and very kind of them to save us. They are planning to hike tomorrow and then drive home so David and I can use the site for the next night which is great.
Wednesday 22nd July
Al received a text early this morning saying he is due back at work this afternoon so they leave, luckily they only live 4 hours away. We exchange contact details and promise to keep in touch.
David and I move our tent more to the back of the site and then go out to hike. We hike to the top of Mt Scott the highest peak at Crater Lake and it takes us only 2 hours so then we tackle Cleetwood Cove going down is fine but hiking back up is the equivalent of climbing 65 flights of stairs phew!!! we could have swum in Crater Lake but it was fairly cold a nd breezy but by the time we got back to the top I sure felt like a swim! There were some Aussies from Perth diving off the rocks at the bottom they said I should swim in my clothes ha ha. We drive around to the shop at Mazama campground and buy some beer. Then we go for a walk at Plaikini Falls a short 1 hour hike (all up we hiked 14 kms today).
We get back to the tent and start preparing to make dinner and light the fire as it was very cold last night and this morning. While we are sitting there a young woman from another campsite is wandering along the road saying "can we use that firewood?" and David says "sure come and get some from beside our tent" and offers to carry some for her. When he goes over to their campsite their fire is barely going so he helps them with it and we get chatting so we grab a beer and sit for a long chat Kate and Rachel met in South Korea when they were both teaching English there. Kate is due to go to law school at Notre Dame and Rachel is due to go back to South Korea to teach English so they are having a last Hurrah and travelling their country together. We chat about so many things but one thing stands out as hilarious In Oregon when you call into a gas station they MUST pump the gas for you it's state law, while one woman was pumping the gas another was washing the windscreen. After we left I said to David "maybe we should have tipped them I wonder what the ettiquette is?" so because Kate is from Oregon we ask her and she says emphatically "NO NO you never tip them!" anyway then she says she has never travelled outside of Oregon before so she doesn't know how to pump gas and the first gas station she came to outside of Oregon she just sat in her car holding her card and Rachel said "what are you doing?" she was waiting for them to come pump her gas ha ha ha!!!!
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