IDAHO
Two days after moving into a new apartment we left for a Mendenhall family camping trip in Idaho. The flight to Boise was uneventful until we disembarked, then I spewed. I felt fine until we landed but then got real nauseous. I kept thinking that if I could just get off the plane I would be able to recover. Well, I made it off the plane, but just barely. Luckily I had one of the air sickness bags with me so I could spew and walk without making too much of a mess. It was a memorable start to our vacation.
The next morning we left for Black Lake. My dad, Josh, and I crammed into a 1986, two wheel drive Isuzu P'up, towing a trailer with a 4-wheeler and canoe. There were several times I wasn't sure we would make it. That poor truck just doesn't tow, and going up hills we would loose speed at an alarming rate. At the top of a particularly steep slope we were only going 25 mph (speed limit was 65). It was quite the rig.
We eventually made it to the lake and found a nice camping spot that was large enough to hold 1 truck, 1 trailer, 1 camper, 2 4-wheelers, 3 tents, and 11 people. Most of Wednesday was spent settling in. Josh took the canoe out on the lake and fished a bit but we really just set up camp and lounged around.
Thursday we left early to hike into Crystal Lake. I use the word "hike" very loosely; trek or excursion may be more accurate descriptions. We rode 4-wheelers on an old ATV trail until snow and downed timber blocked the path. Once we got off the ATV's we started to hike. There is no trail and the terrain is not particularly easy to navigate. A fire went through the area a few years ago resulting in downed timber to crawl/scramble over. At one point The Pants did a fancy dive from a log. When you see someone's feet go over their head... it's never a good thing. Amazingly he survived with only small gashes and scratches on his arm. In most places the downed logs were actually easier to navigate than being on the ground. We estimated that we went a mile to a mile and a half walking on logs.
The lake itself is rugged and beautiful. We spend a few hours fishing and caught some nice sized trout. There was a mountain goat family (mama goat, papa goat, and baby goat) on the cliffs around the lake. My bro-in-law, Scott, jumped in the lake. I fell in. Before we started the hike back we cooked half of the fish (delicious), the rest we packed out to eat the next day. It was about 11pm when the last 4-wheeler rolled into camp, making for a long but fun day.
Friday's outing was much less adventurous. We did a six mile (round trip) hike to Emerald Lake and we were on an actual trail the entire way. The primary objective at Emerald was to catch fish. We wanted to have fish for dinner and the few we brought back from Crystal the day before just weren't going to be enough. There were 4 people fishing and we kept about 25-30 fish. Mission accomplished. They were small brook trout but it was still fun to catch so many. Bonus of the day: more mountain goats.
Saturday was spent packing up, driving home, and watching 'The Dark Knight Rises'. Sunday was church, food, family, and flying back to Seattle.
Spending time with all my family was fantastic. It was a busy trip with little time to relax but we had a lot of fun.
The next morning we left for Black Lake. My dad, Josh, and I crammed into a 1986, two wheel drive Isuzu P'up, towing a trailer with a 4-wheeler and canoe. There were several times I wasn't sure we would make it. That poor truck just doesn't tow, and going up hills we would loose speed at an alarming rate. At the top of a particularly steep slope we were only going 25 mph (speed limit was 65). It was quite the rig.
We eventually made it to the lake and found a nice camping spot that was large enough to hold 1 truck, 1 trailer, 1 camper, 2 4-wheelers, 3 tents, and 11 people. Most of Wednesday was spent settling in. Josh took the canoe out on the lake and fished a bit but we really just set up camp and lounged around.
Thursday we left early to hike into Crystal Lake. I use the word "hike" very loosely; trek or excursion may be more accurate descriptions. We rode 4-wheelers on an old ATV trail until snow and downed timber blocked the path. Once we got off the ATV's we started to hike. There is no trail and the terrain is not particularly easy to navigate. A fire went through the area a few years ago resulting in downed timber to crawl/scramble over. At one point The Pants did a fancy dive from a log. When you see someone's feet go over their head... it's never a good thing. Amazingly he survived with only small gashes and scratches on his arm. In most places the downed logs were actually easier to navigate than being on the ground. We estimated that we went a mile to a mile and a half walking on logs.
Log Walking. Our nephew, Andrew, is right behind me on the log. He was a trooper, going all the way in and out without complaining or saying he was tired. I don't think any of the adults did that. Nice job buddy!
Hiking
See the rock face in the center of the picture? That is the southern edge of the lake.
Crystal Lake
Scott and I with our fish.
Wildflowers on the hike out.
Emerald Lake
GOATS!
Larger version of the picture above. The goats are in there, I promise.
Hiking out of Emerald.
Eating our catch. Just to give you some perspective, this is a 14" or 16" pan. I believe these fish were from Crystal. The fish from Emerald were not that large.
Canoeing around Black Lake
Spending time with all my family was fantastic. It was a busy trip with little time to relax but we had a lot of fun.
Absolutely beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a fun trip, and a chance to visit family :)
Love, you!
Sounds like fun!
ReplyDeleteGlad you guys got to get away for a while.
Miss you!