Farther afield: nameless mines and lost trails
Monday, Memorial Day, in the early morning light, two cars made their way from Burlington to Winthrop/Twisp area for a hike in the Okanogan. We didn't find a nice trail to follow. We didn't even start at a trail-head. Instead, our starting point was a campground. Our trail was the memory of our guides--plus the remains of a mining road. Our motivation was the bright sun in a gloriously clear sky...and a keen sense of adventure, of course.
Thus the merry bunch of us, Jackie, Bryan, Shawnee, Beka, Anna and I, had the time of our lives as we crawled through the shale, snow, streams and mines. Here are the Memorial Day photos. They tell at least some of the story if you can put up with the poor quality.
What passes for a trailhead.
Feeling small...
The ladies present: Jackie, Shawnee, Beka and Anna.
Reaching the first mine.
"Yeah...my grampa had one of these..."
Let's hunt some orc...
Deepest point.
No more trail or packs from here on up.
Resting up after Shawnee and Beka's near-death experience.
The "trail" we have trod...
Having reached our goal...Shawnee walks in (2-3 feet of water).
...and Bryan follows (braving the frigidity)...
...and so, they both wade off into the darkness...
...and we wait.
"I wonder what would happen if Bryan's shoes disappeared while he was gone."
He's moving fast...that's why it's blury I'm sure.
State-of-the-art facilities.
My thoughtful spot...with a view.
Winthrop: looking for dinner.
A cat...that's more like a dog.
It doesn't come in pints...!
Let's blow this joint...
What's Beka staring at?
Oh...that. Washington Pass, North Cascade highway--our road home.
Thus the merry bunch of us, Jackie, Bryan, Shawnee, Beka, Anna and I, had the time of our lives as we crawled through the shale, snow, streams and mines. Here are the Memorial Day photos. They tell at least some of the story if you can put up with the poor quality.
What passes for a trailhead.
Feeling small...
The ladies present: Jackie, Shawnee, Beka and Anna.
Reaching the first mine.
"Yeah...my grampa had one of these..."
Let's hunt some orc...
Deepest point.
No more trail or packs from here on up.
Resting up after Shawnee and Beka's near-death experience.
The "trail" we have trod...
Having reached our goal...Shawnee walks in (2-3 feet of water).
...and Bryan follows (braving the frigidity)...
...and so, they both wade off into the darkness...
...and we wait.
"I wonder what would happen if Bryan's shoes disappeared while he was gone."
He's moving fast...that's why it's blury I'm sure.
State-of-the-art facilities.
My thoughtful spot...with a view.
Winthrop: looking for dinner.
A cat...that's more like a dog.
It doesn't come in pints...!
Let's blow this joint...
What's Beka staring at?
Oh...that. Washington Pass, North Cascade highway--our road home.
posted by Mark at 4:57 PM
WHAT! beka had a near death experience! Thank goodness she is apperintly (sp?) ok!
I've explained this so many times now...
We were scaling an extremely steep slope about half-way up the mountain. Below us was a considerably deep ravine that plunged down at an alarmingly steep rate. I was leaping (or trying to leap--it was more like scrambling) from shale to snow with the aid of some fellow adventurers. The momentum sent I and a very brave and faithful friend sliding, gaining momentum down the mountain. Yes, I thought my time had come at last. Jesus must have other tasks for me still, because here I am! A patch of sharp shale brought us abruptly to a halt. I have various bruises, scrapes and the like to show for it.
And there you have it.
A frightful experience to be sure.
Rebekah! Please do be more careful next time. You haven't finished teaching Michael the fine art of being a gentleman.
On a more serious note I'm glad that you are okay. Really.
Oh that sounded (and looked) so fun. I love the cave pics. One of my castles had quite the network of caves that you had to go through to get to it; Your pictures brought back ever so many memories.
So was that Sauk Mt. area that you hiked? I've heard some stories about that area.
So glad you're still here Beka, Praise God! You know, now that I think about it, I'm almost sure I remember praying for you all on your hike. It's a LONG story as to why I remembered to pray, but it had something to with someone telling me a scary story regarding that location.
Looks like you all had a wonderful time. I am not sure how far into the mines I would have gone but it looked like fun just the same. Glad it didn't become a memorial day for Rebecka and you all made it out of there safely.
kristi, we were craving something bigger so we decided against Sauk Mt--too short. Twisp is really on another scale :)
Do you ever plan to visit that castle again?
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