Busy as a Beaver

and learning a few things in the process!

This week's adventure was yet another research destination for my upcoming Backpacking Washington book. And like other recent destinations, was yet another all-out grind as I condensed what is normally a 3 or 4 day trip into two. Yep, another one of those-37 miles in two days type of adventures. But this trip was also different in that through my Facebook Guidebook Author Site ; I put out a request for a hiking partner to do the the Little Beaver-Big Beaver Loop in the North Cascades National Park. My recruit had to meet the following requirements:

1. Be willing to take off immediately (the day after request was made)


2. Be willing to share cost of the Ross Lake water taxi, not exactly a cheap fare


3. Be able to hike 37 miles in 2 days in which the second one was 21 miles


4. Be adventurous enough to hike with someone they really don't know


5. And be able to put up with me for such a time and distance!

Well, one person came through-Ted Evans. An East Coast transplant with a Sicilian nonna, I had a feeling we were going to get along-and this guy is a professional photographer too which would make this hike even more fun. And as always, I love spending time in the outdoors with different folks to perhaps learn a thing or two myself. I may have penned 8 books on the outdoors, but I have a lot to learn too. And on this trip into the wilds of the North Cascades National Park, this is what I learned.

1. Terry cloth light-weight towels make great water (ie rain) vanquishers for your tent fly when you need to pack them up.

2. The canisters for the pocket rocket contain a lot less fuel than I expected.

3. It is amazing how you can make a fire in the most wettest conditions when the need for a fresh cup of coffee is life or death.

4. Starbucks' Via rules. It tastes even better backpacking. Its tastes heavenly made from water boiled on the a makeshift fire that saved me from serious caffeine withdrawals and the prospect of hiking 21 miles decaffeinated!

5. Take chances-I found a great new hiking partner!

Okay, have fun out there-carry lots of fuel and perhaps some day I'll be drinking coffee in the backcountry with you too!

I Fell into a Burning Ring of Fire!

In my many years and thousands of miles of hiking I have had many an unsettling experience among all of my glorious times. I've spooked and been spooked by grizzlies, bull elk, bull moose, and rattlesnakes protecting their dens. I've been dive bombed by owls, skimmed by bats, covered in ticks, stung by wasps, picked up a parasite or two and been zapped by numerous plants. I've been charged by dogs. Rained on. Snowed on. Caught in storms, dodged lightening bolts, loose rocks and even falling trees. I've been stuck fording raging creeks, crossing dangerous steep snowfields and even have been lost a couple of times (just a couple mind you!). And now after last week's hike to Spectacle Lake-I fell into a burning ring of fire (play it Johnny!).

On Thursday August 27th, I headed up to Spectacle Lake via the Pete Lake Trail and was aware of a forest fire in the area from the get-go-smoke and the smell of burning wood filled the air. The trail wasn't closed and supposedly the Lemah Creek Fire which had been burning since late July was just smoldering. Fire fighters were in the region and the the way was supposedly safe to proceed to Spectacle. Upon hitting the Lemah Meadows Trail I ran into a couple of hikers and as we talked wood crackled right behind us-yes, right behind us-the fire was that close-but supposedly it was just smoldering and the way was safe and there were firefighters on the ground.

I made it to the lake-hung around for a couple of hours and then made my way back on the 10 miles remaining between me and my truck. As I descended from the lake, I watched the fire in the distance. It wasn't smoldering-it was flaring up-and I suddenly had a very unnerving feel. As I approached the burn zone and the trail which was supposed to skirt it and provide me with safe passage I knew I was approaching trouble. The smoke was thick and I could now feel the heat. I could hear wood crackling and feel breezes-hot breezes as the fire was creating its own thermals and winds. Right at the junction trees were burning. Holy shit! I figured I had about a quarter mile of fire zone to get through. Call me crazy-brazen-or stupid- I looked at the trees burning and the patches of fire dancing along the ground and assessed that I could get through safely if I prayed to God and ran like hell! I did both and made it through the burn zone physically exasperated and mentally overwhelmed. Holy shit-what was I thinking running through a forest fire? It was a fast run and a quick passage but it felt drawn out and almost surrealistic-like being in one of those Terminator movies or something similar where the hero runs through burning carnage-it was crazy-I survived it and warily kept marching down the trail. I encountered a couple of hikers coming up the trail where I warned them of my ordeal and what faced them-I must have looked like I saw a ghost.

I look back at the incident now and still break out into a sweat. Wow-that was one heck of an experience! The trail is closed now and the fire continues to flare and grow. Nature is a powerful force. The wilderness is a beautiful place-but Nature can sometimes make heaven on earth a living hell for those who usually live outside of her realm.