Leavenworth - Icicle Creek
6/23/06 -6/25/06

Icicle Creek

Camping in Leavenworth has been on my agenda for most of the year. The idea popped in my head when the weather on this side of the mountains was not the most conducive to camping for novices, but the urge to be in the wilderness remained.
What a weekend to go! The temperature in western Washington was in the eighties and eastern Washington in the upper nineties.
Since I’d been working overtime during the week and our budget doesn’t allow for overtime, I had to take time off to balance out my forty-hour workweek. I gladly took the opportunity to leave early on Friday to finish packing and begin the drive over the mountains.
I let Morgan know that I was going and he seemed interested to go. Now what was intended as a solitary backpacking trip changed tune. Guys’ weekend. After working on logistics, Morgan called and said that Emily wanted to come. That seemed reasonable. I’d like to take my girlfriend along too. So then it was the three of us, and then, their dog. I called the ranger station asking if dogs were allowed and the ranger said that they were permitted in the campgrounds as long as they were on a leash. I’m not a fan of camping with dogs. They chase away the wildlife, interrupt the silence, and are a constant source of movement and chaos…stuff I want to get away from.

Our campsite along the river

As soon as I got home, I put my pack and Rubbermaid “car camping” bin in the car. The bin is filled with the extra luxuries I take along when I don’t have to worry about carting it too far. Inside I have a hatchet, pot, pan, books, coffee, non-stick cooking spray, spatula, tongs, propane bottles, stove, towel, and grill for cooking over the fire. I also took a lantern and two-burner Coleman stove. It was three o’clock and I was headed out the door. I called Morgan and he was about ready to leave too. He needed to drive to Redmond to pick Emily up from work, and then head out from there. He would arrive much later than me.
Near Monroe, I tried to call Morgan to see what his ETA was, but his phone was going straight to voicemail, so I called Emily. He hadn’t picked her up yet, so I agreed to secure a camping site and meet them in town at Ducks and Drakes. I figured cell phones wouldn’t work, and I didn’t know the availability of campsites, so we had to have a central location to meet.
The only stop I made was in Monroe at Taco Time, but I did slow down enough to notice that the Sultan Saw Shop, “Loggertown,” was going out of business!
Highway 2 was its normal mix of wide-open road and slow cars in no-passing lanes. Each of the cars in front of me was a potential competitor for available campsites. I did my best to pass as many as I could (at the speed limit or under, of course). My iPod played Johnny Cash, Coldplay, and Alanis Morissette, while the sun shined down on my left arm.
A long line of cars was signaling left to pull into Tumwater campground, just west of Leavenworth. I didn’t even bother. I’d camped there a couple of years ago, and although the thinned-out forest allowed for a lot of sun to pour in, it was very busy. No “getting away from it all” there.

Meadow near Icicle Gorge

I turned right at Icicle road. When I’d asked the ranger about dogs, she said that there were some campgrounds available at Upper Johnny Creek. But this information was out of date, so I checked myself. The first campground, Eightmile, was completely full and full of bike-riding kids, pop-up campers, and the like. Bridge Creek – Full. Lower Johnny Creek was along the river, but full. Upper Johnny Creek had since filled up. I was heading deeper and deeper into the gorge, but still could find nothing. Ida Creek was full. Now I was on a dirt road with my bald tires. Chatter Creek, full.
Right before Rock Creek, I found one! And it was right on the river! I quickly noted the number (21), and flipped around to reserve it quick. On the other side of the bridge, I began filling out the reservation form and my check. The Thousand Trails contractors stopped and advised me to put my reservation slip on the little post and put a tent up to signal to others that it was taken. They let me know that it was one of three left along Icicle Creek, and the only riverside one. So I set up my tent and a chair, and headed back toward Leavenworth to meet Morgan and Emily.

Columbia/Tiger Lily

Common Red Paintbrush

All of a sudden, my cell phone vibrated. At this time, I was about 5 miles out of town. Emily said that she and Morgan were at the Starbucks in Leavenworth. I saw Morgan’s car (a brand new Mustang) and asked Emily to stand in a parking spot to reserve it for me. I finally found her, parked, and we all walked over to a little hot dog and beer stand to relax for a bit before the drive back. Some guy there had a cast on his foot and said it was from an octopus grabbing on to him while he was diving. Not sure if I believe it. I’d not brought any food and we stocked up on hot dogs, steaks, beer, corn, and firewood at Safeway, and headed out.
As much as I was worried about my bald tires, Morgan was worried about his week-old Mustang. What I took slow, he took slower. The dirt portion of the road was only about four or five miles, and in relatively good shape, but it jarred my truck and caused Morgan to fall further behind, but we made it. I was proud of my campsite find and Morgan and Emily appeared to agree. The campsite had a firepit and picnic table, water was a few feet away, but there was no level ground, so my tent was oriented so my head would face uphill.

View from the campsite

On the last camping trip that Morgan and Emily came to, we went to Deception Pass State Park. Although better than sitting at home, that campground was more like a pre-func at a football game than wilderness. Our current campsite was much more remote and quieter. The trees completely blocked out all the sun, and the sound of the river rushing by enhanced the quietness. There were only a few other campsites within view.
We unpacked, cracked some beers, and began poking around and chatting. In fact, that is what encompassed most of Friday evening. Although one of the longest days of the year, we were in a deep valley, and darkness fell sooner than we’d anticipated. Morgan and I drove around looking for the bathrooms, the fire was started, the steaks put on the grill, and the corn thrown in the coals. Dinner is always so much better in the woods. Bedtime was probably after midnight. None of us had a watch, so I’m not sure.

Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel

6/24/06

We planned on going to town to eat breakfast this morning, but it was about lunchtime when everyone was awake and ready. The condensation on my tent and darkness fooled me into thinking that it was a rainy day, but I woke up around 7-ish and began the day anyway. I saw an interesting bird fly by, followed it to get a closer look, and found the bathroom! Right across the street from the campsite. I lost sight of the bird, so I brushed my teeth, cleaned up from the night before, and hung out until Morgan and Emily woke up. Morgan drove us to eat what was described the night before as “big fat waffles and fruit.” Parking sucked but we found a little diner, Cindy’s I think it was called, and ordered our food. After eating my cheese-filled crepe, we drove to Safeway to get hamburger stuff, more beer, and more wood.

Morgan admiring the mountains

Morgan was pissed at the road on the way back (dammit Ted!), but got over it when we went for a little hike along the river. I took my camera, chased chipmunks for better photos, and looked at Indian Paintbrush, Stonecrop, Tiger Lilies, and other flowers which I could not name. Burned trees stood above meadows probably caused by the fires in 1994 or 2001. It allowed for beautiful views and an interesting display of the life-cycle of the forest. The trail ended at a creek, so we walked in the creek for a while, Morgan stacking stones to mark our path back.

Stonecrop

Western Trumpet Honeysuckle

Back at the campsite, we munched on hot dogs and beer, and Morgan decided to join Emily for a nap. I jumped at the chance, grabbed my book, and walked back along the river to sit out in the sun and read. “One Man’s Wilderness” by Dick Proeneke was my chosen poison, and I tried to use the solitude and wilderness bring me into his book more. Proeneke was discussing the harsh winters, but I couldn’t relate, with the current temperature in the nineties. I ended up falling asleep on the grass, and woke up to find that I didn’t have a sunburn.
When I got back to camp, I drank another beer and tracked down a raven that was calling. I enjoyed the excuse of taking pictures to explore and get away.
Morgan put a watermelon in the river to keep it cool. I don’t know if he remembered it or if it is still out there.
For dinner, we mixed up chopped red onion in hamburger meat and cooked it on the grill. My stove ran out of propane, so I put the beans on the grill. Well, on a pan on the grill. Bacon intended for breakfast became a garnish, and we ate until we were full.
Again, I don’t know what time I went to bed, but it was probably later than the night before.

Burned mountainside along Icicle Road

6/25/06

I woke up early and was disappointed that I hadn’t taken any landscape shots, so I broke camp, cleaned up, and told a sleeping Morgan that I was leaving. The drive back toward Leavenworth was beautiful that early in the morning. Very few cars were on the road, and I was free to stop whenever I wanted to take some pictures and take in the scenery. East of the river were burned remnants of trees, while west seemed to be spared. Taking my time, I watched a kayaker put in the river, enjoyed the sun, and leisurely made it westward.
I haven’t described the wonderful smell of this area. The sweet, floral scent seems suspended in the air. That sounds lame, so I’m going to stop.
Once again, I stopped and sat next to the river to read until a fat family decided to invade my area. They won, and I left.
I called Jes when I got to Monroe to see if I could come down to see her before picking up the kids for the week, but she was going to a movie with her mom. Next, I called Callie and Scott to see if I could pick them up early, but they weren’t going to be ready until around four, so I had more time to kill. As soon as I got home, I unpacked and finished my book. My plan was to look up some of the flowers and birds I’d seen in a field guide and try to identify them, but haven’t got to it yet, and probably won’t.