Backpacking w/the Girls
Backpacking w/the girls
Meet Jacquie, Renee, and Kandace. Let me tell you a little about each of them so you get a picture of who I am taking out. Jacquie has camped before and hiked but never backpacked and wanted to give it a try. Kandace has been out on half of a 5-day 30mile trip before and did really well. Renee is a natural in the outdoors but has never really hiked much or backpacked. Most of the girls were going to be spending their first trip out learning about gear, how to cook, and basic LNT (leave no trace principles). This trip wasn't about the miles, it was about learning about what they were going to expect, and how to be prepared. As many of you know there is plenty to learn.
Weeks of planning and information was sent to the girls, food was dehydrated and prepped to meet their needs, now we just needed the weather to cooperate. My years of experience told me this was going to be a rough weekend weather-wise. The wildfires were playing havoc on anyone able to predict any decent weather forecasts, many of the National Forests were closed due to Wildfire activity, the tree's down, and the firefighters needing access to keep the fires under control. This made planning difficult, but I was determined to see it through.
With over 5 large forest fires burning in the area that left out Mt Hood National Forest, Willamette National Forest (which btw is huge!), and SW Washington was out. The weather was predicting rain and cold temperatures, and the weather was changing for the worst every day. Though I had a few trips planned just in case, I decided on Deschutes National Forest in the Cascade Lakes area. We had a 50% chance of rain on Friday and the rest of the weekend was showing it was going to be clear. Of course, with everything going on, that is not at all what took place. We arrived at the trailhead to a torrential downpour. Rain, and high winds. We decided to grab a hotel for Friday night and give it a go in the morning.
We waited until the rain had cleared and hit the Six Lakes Trailhead in the late morning. I picked an easy trip with lots of options so we could play it by ear on where we went. With less than a 1/4 mile in one of the girls had an anxiety attack that was not related to our experience, but life circumstances. She wanted to continue and we kept going at a very slow pace. We decided to stop for lunch at Blow Lake in hopes that she could take a rest and then carry on to Doris Lake. We quickly realized that it was best to set up camp at Blow Lake. It was a great opportunity to dive into the details of learning how to cook and set up a camp. Afterward, we decided to day hike up to Doris Lake and check it out. Which btw is very beautiful. Upon arrival back to camp, the weather was making a change for the worst and rain was coming in. So we set up our tarps and rain flys in a community-like setting and hung out underneath in hopes it would clear up. Sadly, it never did. The temps plummeted and it got in the 30's that night. We were prepared, but it was still cold for first-timers.
The next morning we made breakfast, packed up camp, and hiked out. We enjoyed a nice lunch at 10 barrel brewing, had some celebratory cocktails, and headed home. A lot was learned for all. I learned the challenges of teaching new people how to backpack, and they learned that not everything goes as planned, but if you are prepared you will be fine. Experience goes a long way in the outdoors, and I am grateful for the opportunity to spend as much time out there as possible.
The highlight of the trip for me was getting to see my first Pine Marten!! I've wanted to see one for a long time, but on most of my trips I lead youth, and they are simply too loud to get to see any wildlife. Though I only got to see his fluffy butt running away I knew exactly what it was and was sooo excited!
