Only a week late. Logan and I went our for our first and last overnight hike for 2018 during the weekend of 10/13 & 10/14 up the Perry Creek Trail to Mount Forgotten Meadows.

Logan, Claire, and I have been pretty good this past year getting out for regular hikes and had decided that the weekend of the 13th weekend was going to be one of if not the last good weekend to get out for and overnight hike. Well, what was going to be an overnight hike for the 3 of us turned into just me and Logan after Claire decided this was the best weekend for her, her mother, and her gals to go wedding dress shopping. Claire even bought a dress that day!

I was stoked the whole week to get out of town for the weekend but I was nervous as my old back injury had flared up the weekend before and Claire had laid down the law – if I wasn’t feeling better by Wednesday, I wasn’t going. So I was stretched and did all the usual things that help my back back feel somewhat better over time. To my surprise I was feeling alright by Wednesday and decided I was going. If I kept up my stretches I’d be feeling great by the weekend.

Maybe it was finding a version of myself that I have been out of touch with for some time maybe not but I was beyond excited. So when Saturday morning came and I was feeling good but not great I decided to push through and see what we could do.

It’s not the most serious hike I’ve ever been on. Certainly not the longest, or the steepest, or the most remote. Probably not the highest elevation either but I’d have to check that out to make sure. But dammit I was excited.

The hike went great. 5.4 miles in and about 3,500 feet of elevation gain and two peaks within our grasp.

Both Logan and I were feeling a few of the kinks and such that come with adding a 30 pound pack that you’re not used to but nothing too notable on the way in.

Once up at the Mount Forgotten Meadows we had a snack and took a short nap. Then we left our bags behind and went out to see if we could bag Stillaguamish peak. Unprepared. Neither of us brought a small day pack for water and snacks for this section and I wish I had some trail runners versus my big heavy hiking boots. We didn’t make the peak. A beautiful hike and we were closing in on it but we were tired, without water, and sunlight was fading fast. I think had we both a little more recent experience we may have planned that day and side trip a little better.

Nightfall.

As the sun set the temperature dropped. Fast. We found our selves layered up with our warmest clothes and windbreakers on and it still wasn’t quite enough to be sitting out exposed and be comfortable. So we fixed up dinner fast and then ducked into the tent and our sleeping bags. Hitting the hay and an astoundingly early 7:30pm, give or take.

It was a cold night. Cold enough to push our 20 degree bags to prove their rating but we made it through without too much trouble. As the sky lightened and our alarms went off my back was killing me. Scarmbling to the top of Mount Forgotten as was the plan for Sunday morning was out of the question for me. I wanted to give it a shot so badly but I knew if I moved wrong and tweaked my back that I would be stuck up there with an unsure way down. Logan understood and instead we made some coffee and watched the sun rise.

 

The hike down was tough but still we had a great time. The worst part for me was feeling like I am not the adventurer I used to be however rather than being defeated in that notion I am using the feeling to encourage me to get back to where I was once before and know I can be again.

So here goes. I hope my writing improves as I do more of it. I plan to take photos of my adventures but do not consider myself a photographer so I hope you enjoy them for what they are – an amateur clicking away to preserve and share memories.

Cheers.