June 25-26, 2016
It's been nearly two years since Andy and I have done an overnight trip. We've been busy being pawrents!
The day after my international work trip, we made a couple sandwiches, packed up, and headed to the Stafford Creek trailhead in Teanaway/Cle Elum. Seeing as this was a one-nighter, we decided to be lazy with our meals - a simple ham sandwich once we got to camp and a protein bar for breakfast. We brought almonds and pork jerky for snacks.
The Stafford Creek trailhead was easy to find and the drive was smooth but for a few large potholes. There were some nice car camping sites along the creek. Many of the sites were empty on that sunny Saturday afternoon. The parking lot was full when we arrived at 1:30 PM (latest start to date. I love the long days of summer!) but we were able to find a good spot along the road. A NW Forest Pass is required, or you can pay the $5/night fee at the self-serve station. A toilet is available in the lot, too.
This 5 mile hike had a very gradual elevation gain and was popular with mountain bikers. Before we knew it we had reached 6,000'. During the entire hike I was anticipating some strenuous series of switchback or massive climb, but there was none of that up to the Pass. The meadow everyone mentions in their trip reports was grassy and green. You'll know when you're there. From what I could see, there were a half dozen tents pitched around there. Not satisfied with the area, Andy and I continued up to the Pass and found a spot next to a large rock and close to a stream. We were greeted by a neighbor's dog, Cooper the Puggle, who hung out with us anytime we ate.
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| Hi, Andy |
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| The meadow and tents pitched around the perimeter |
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| Found a nice spot off the Pass |
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| Dinner with Andy and Cooper |
By 6 PM we'd set up camp and finished dinner. We wanted to catch the sunset from Navaho Peak, a half mile scramble from our site, but it was still too early (sunset just past 9) so we napped/hung out in the tent for an hour before heading out.
Prepared with our jackets, headlights, snacks, and water we started the climb to Navaho Peak. There were a couple awesome sites on the way and we were seriously contemplating running back down to grab our stuff to take the site, but decided not to considering how much colder it would be up there. Up and up we went, being careful because we didn't have trekking poles. The climb up was generally steep with dry, loose dirt and rocks. The sun was setting, making Dragontail and the Enchantments breathtaking. I wasn't skilled enough to snap decent photo with my phone, though, because the sun was setting behind it. I looked behind us during the climb and, to my surprise because we were so high up, saw a gorgeous and clear view of Mount Rainier and Helens.
Not wanting to risk a scary slide down from 7,000' in the dark without trekking poles we made it one hump short of the peak before turning back. We caught the remainder of the show from the upper site not too far from Andy in the photo below.
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| Hiking down during sunset |
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| Wildflowers are still out and about |
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| Swirly tree trunk |
It ended up being a clear night and the stars were shining brightly. Milky Way dust was visible to the naked eye. We woke up just after sunrise with the moon still up. The hike down was easy on the knees and took just about 2 hours. Per east hikes tradition, we visited Leavenworth for the rest of the morning and early afternoon before heading home.
