My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Immediately driving west out of Coulee City, Washington, we drove up a lengthy, steep incline into beautiful rolling hills and more farm land. In the distance I spotted what appeared to be an abandoned building and with the background of the sky and the mountains, I thought.....the perfect picture.....



I found myself pulled to it so I pulled off the highway, and walked up the gravel side road for a closer look.....



And I loved it.....





The ever changing landscapes are such a great reward of travel. Continuing west we descended into a canyon.....



The graffiti on the rock cliffs caught my attention. I thought it might be a fun climb.....



We reached the ravine and looked back.....



I wasn't prepared for the amount of trash (paint cans mostly) that we found. It appears that this has been going on for years.....



The canyon views from the cliffs were outstanding.....



Driving on, we crossed the Columbia River near Wenatchee, Washington, continued west into the Wenatchee National Forest and found a spot to overnight on a forest service road.....

 

[longhorn1]

Old school house. Great find. I found the one my grand mother went to between Big Timber, MT and Tell I'll, MT. She was born in 1884. About the same condition. Drive and you shall find some amazing things. What is the Washington Permit?

 

[longhorn1]

Mellville, MT. Can't figure out how to make corrections.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

I know at this point I am biased- as i have spent the last 15 years here: But the pacific Northwest Is a beautiful and amazing area. Just about any climate or landscape you can find here, temperate rain forest, yup, Ocean, yup, Mountain, yup, High desert, that as well. The Columbia river gorge sure can be a pretty place as well. I hope you are able to stay awhile

Happy trails and Safe Travels

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

JD.....it's actually called the Discover Pass and it's a permit that allows you to access land owned by the state of Washington. In addition, you also need to purchase a Northwest Forest Service Pass to access Forest Service land in Washington and Oregon. Each pass costs $30 for one year from date of purchase.....

PNWY.....yep, it's beautiful here.....no debating that. I'm not sure how long I'll be in the area. I need to get warranty work done on the camper (I originally had an appointment on August 24th and I'm just finally getting here) and I'll be winging it after that. I've got a few spots that I'd like to visit before I head south. Thanks.....

The following morning would be what I would describe as a typical Pacific Northwest morning.....the air was cool and damp.....



We were camped right along the banks of the Wanatchee River.....



The fog lifted from the mountains as the sun's rays finally rose above the mountains.....







The dogs and I decided to hike up the nearby mountain to see where the forest service road would take us.....



The road ended after about 3 miles. We met up with this group getting ready to take their pack horses up high into the mountains.....



We returned to the rig, and it was then that I noticed an inordinate amount of trash along the roadway and the riverbank. I decided that I should have another clean up the trash day and I swear in an area no larger than a football field, I picked up 21 pounds of trash (thanks again to Voyager3 for the idea of weighing the trash). Just amazing the way people are disrespecting our national forests.....



Now it was time to get some peakbagging in.....

 

[Ace Brown]

I usually pick up trash wherever I camp. But not if it’s a huge pile. I have no room to carry a lot. I’m always amazed that idiots still think you can burn beer cans. NOT!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Ace.....I'm lucky (I guess) that I have that old beater Jeep. That thing is more trailer than it is 4 wheel drive vehicle. Wouldn't you agree that the littering situation has gotten worse the past few years ? Like you, I've always addressed it but it's becoming overwhelming.....

Once upon a time I had 3 great passions in my life.....travel, scuba diving, and mountaineering. I gave up scuba diving after dealing with cancer, and I became less obsessed with mountaineering, but I always have pursued my traveling. I once had a goal for myself.....200 ocean dives and 200 mountain summits. I accomplished the 200 ocean dives, but never the 200 mountain summits. I'm close.....so maybe now it's time.....

Rock Mountain (6,852') would be my 189th mountain summit.....and what an amazing peak it was, and is. My research online (summitpost.org) strongly suggested that we use the northern trail to the summit.....less miles and less elevation gain. But I had camped just a few miles from the southern trailhead, and so it was that I chose the brutal one, the southern trail, and brutal it was.....

First off, my rig was too long to access the trailhead parking making me add nearly 2 miles to an already planned 11 mile hike.....

This was.....I'm not sure what this was but it was where I parked.....



So my day consisted of approximately 13 miles hiking with 4,175' of elevation gain to the summit.....



Fall colors were glorious nearly the entire route.....



It was so steep.....I read that the first section alone had 95 switchbacks.....





And I also read that the views were outstanding.....and they were even better than outstanding.....





As I neared the summit I looked down on Rock Lake.....



Clouds rolled in the entire morning and intermittent light rain fell. The summit was cold as the clouds moved by. It was Tanner and I only.....on the summit together.....and I loved getting number 189 with my best buddy.....

 

[furbucket]

Your photos are top notch, you deserve a pro camera!


via Tapatalk on an evil pocket calculator with a flashy screen

 

[Riversdad]

I noticed that Yukon misses a lot of these hikes. Is he sick or just slowing down with age?

 

[ITTOG]

Have you ever looked into a lake, the water's surface just as calm and clear as it could possibly be, and then see a small ripple that appears on the surface, and you wonder how that can be ?

Have you ever been in a still, calm forest, not a breeze to be felt, and you notice the leaves of one lone tree that begin to ruffle, and you wonder how did that happen ?

Have you looked up into the sky and see a single cloud forming in a perfect blue sky, and wonder why is it there ?

Lately I've seen rainbows, not that uncommon in Montana.....one I saw the night before I left for Idaho.....and then another the night when I returned to Montana. Usually I see them after it rains and the sun comes out.....but neither of these came that way. They were just there.....probably from distant rains.....

View attachment 408641

The Rainbow Bridge..........inspired by a Norse legend

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,

Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.

Where the friends of man and woman do run,

When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,

Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.

On this golden land, they wait and they play,

Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,

For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.

Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,

Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,

Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.

All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,

Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instant, their eyes have met;

Together again, both person and pet.

So they run to each other, these friends from long past,

The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,

Has turned into joy once more in each heart.

They embrace with a love that will last forever,

And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.

View attachment 408640

I am hooked on your story so I have been reading through your travels and came to your posts about Montana. I am sorry to bring this up but you made the comment ".....there wasn't a single sign prior to this.....". Even though I am several pages past your post now, your statement just set heavy on my heart because I had to skip some of the posts but I am urged to say how could you have known. You gave Montana such a wonderful life. One that every dog in this world would love to have. He had a slice of heaven on earth with you! Now he is in heaven making a lot more souls happy, just like he did for you.

Glad to see you got back on the road and I look forward to getting through the rest of your travelogue.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Furbucket.....sure do appreciate that comment. I've been putting a lot of effort into trying to capture some cool shots since purchasing this new phone (camera). I doubt I have the abilities to use anything more complex.....

Riversdad.....Yukon has begun to feel the pains of old age. I try to limit her to 6 miles but it doesn't always work. She still has the heart and desire, but not the joints. It's tough leaving her behind.....

ITTOG.....no problem bringing up Montana's name. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about him.....

The following day was a planned rest day but with the weather in the Pacific Northwest, if it's a half decent weather day outside, you go outside (at least that's how I see it). So we climbed another mountain, although this one was much easier and Yukon was with us as well.....



Our next mountain would be Big Chief Mountain (5,858'), approximately 7 miles roundtrip. The trailhead begins at Stevens Pass (4,060'), meanders along the Pacific Coast Trail for the first few miles.....



Once we reached the ridgeline of the mountain chain, we veered east towards the summit.....



The hike and the summit weren't quite as spectacular as Rock Mountain, but honestly, having Yukon along made up for it.....





Tanner taking a break and taking it all in.....



But Yukon was the star on the summit.....



It was yet one more day of intermittent rain, and it was cold as well, but we still had the views.....





Two days straight of climbing left me fairly sore.....Yukon was fine with one.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I saw these informational signs at Stevens Pass and I really thought they were interesting, therefore I'll share them with you. I cant imagine what it was like to have these amazing lands stolen.....









Then we continued to drive west.....no more mountain peaks for now. Our next stop of interest was a by chance stop.....just to walk the dogs briefly.....



We had stopped at Eagle Falls.....what an absolutely gorgeous little spot along the highway.....







Looking downstream.....



And now look what people are doing to this little roadside gem.....



I left thinking.....where do all the empty paint cans go here ?

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

It breaks my heart to see something so beautiful being ruined by the thoughtless in the moment acts of persons unknown.

I added another spot to my list, thanks to yours.

Sadly not that long ago, in that popular swimming hole a person was never found after jumping in,

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...swimming-hole-on-skykomish-rivers-south-fork/

 

[Riversdad]

After my dog Ellie developed arthritis I began giving her Joint Max triple strength and Cosequin ds. Really seemed to help and kept her more comfortable on our walks. Hard to beat having good dogs in our lives.

 

[GregSplett]

I love the rat rods!
Tesla is laughing at the gt....but only to 60.
The graffiti outside Wenatchee used to be a high school graduation tradition dating way back.My father had paint up there in the fifties.
Eagle falls is a constant chore.... Volunteers actually went in and pressure washed and hand scrubbed the area clean maybe a year ago.