Craig and Bonzi at Bluff Lake

On Friday after work Craig and I drove into Washington with Bonzi for a quick overnight backpacking trip to Bluff Lake in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. We didn’t make it to the trailhead until after 10:30pm and neither of us had hiked the trail before, but we were going to camp at the lake, which the trail information put as 1.5 miles in so it seemed reasonable enough.

Quick back story: I bought a new backpack in March. Last year I used a small pack I bought for cheap on Sierra Trading Post. It was small enough that my sleeping bag, cup and such all had to be strapped on to the outside of the pack and Craig had to carry the tent and camp stove. I grew up car camping, so packing in is still quite new to me, plus the Cascades are real mountains, whereas I grew up with Pinnacle Mountain.

I have enjoyed the backpacking I’ve done so far, and wanted to do more this summer, but because it is new to me, I wanted a pack large enough that I didn’t have to strap so much outside, as the shift in balance effects my confidence. I also wanted a pack built for my frame. So this spring I took my REI dividend along with my 20% off coupon to try and find a pack. In the end I chose the Osprey Ariel 65. Of course, within a month I was at the Pacific Crest Trail Annual Day Zero Kick-Off event and suddenly the pack I chose, but hadn’t yet used, was considered a gargantuan behemoth, but that’s another story. Our trip this week-end was the packs first venture on the trails. It worked out great.

That said, starting a night hike on a trail you don’t know after 10pm can lead to a bit of frustration if you aren’t a night owl. We hiked for what seemed like miles, though was probably just over two. We had passed a bluff and my memory of one of the trail descriptions put the lake before the first bluff. Then the trail became more and more overgrown and finally I asked Craig if we could just turn back and camp at one of the flat spots we’d passed and find the lake in the morning.

It was a good request, as we happened upon the lake by returning to the first clearing. It was great to sleep deep in the woods and awake to the sight of the lake. Of course, it would have been even better without all the mosquitoes. Then again, lakes and mosquitoes do tend to go together. And all in all it was a great trip into the wilderness.

The summer seems to by flying by. Today we looked at the calendar to scout out at least two more week-ends between now and the end of September where we’ll be able to head out and enjoy the wilderness. I think we found them!