Thursday, June 30, 2011

Priest Lake and South Skookum


It is very rare that I am ever able to get out of town two weeks in a row but it just happened. Last week Walter and I went up to Beaver Creek on Priest Lake to celebrate the Summer Solstice and get in a bit of paddling. It has been a very long, cold and wet spring here in the Inland Northwest and I have been craving the sun in the worst way.



Trip #1

Walter and I left town Monday night as soon as I got off work and made it up to Beaver Creek with about an hour of daylight to spare. My elation with getting out was tempered by finding out that my favorite coworker, Lorri, in the Tri-Cities passed away unexpectedly and horribly on Sunday morning. I am very sad for her, her children and grandchildren and for the coworkers who spent the majority of their time with her. I feel sad for myself as well because I feel that we were starting to become friends. We had made plans to get together on my next trip to Richland to talk about her trip to China last fall and I found her to be an amazing and interesting person. Since Morgan’s death 7 years ago I have put up a nice wall between myself and others. After she died, I lost several friends because I guess my hell was too much for them. One was my BFF which compounded my agony. After attending Lorri's memorial service this past Monday I now know that I missed out on getting to know someone pretty special.


The campground at Beaver Creek was pretty empty which made me happy. It is still too cold up there for most folks. We did a lot of paddling on Tuesday early afternoon, paddling south along the big lake to look for possible campsites. Tuesday evening the lake was pure glass and we were the only ones on it. On Wednesday I carried the canoe down the ¼ mile portage to save going up against the current. The night before I paddled around the breakwater fence and into the river which had the stiffest current I have ever experienced there. It got a lot better after Caribou Creek. I was able to actually paddle up the creek about a mile until the current was too hard to go against. There were a couple of riffles that gave me a thrill. I was worn out by the time we hit the upper lake so I just turned around and paddled back to the portage for the uphill climb with the boat. I made the portage in one trip, even with all my “shit, I’m in the water” emergency clothing. Walter is getting a lot more comfortable in the boat and actually laid down for a bit and put his head on the gunwale. It was so cute. I had planned to stay for 3 nights but decided to go home Wednesday so I could have some time at home before heading back to work on Friday.



Put-in at the Thoroughfare



Freaked me out: in front of a cabin





Along the breakwater fence


An empty lake except for the crazy woman and her poodle



Cool cabin art


Looking up the amazing Lion Creek valley.



Wally looking tough


One of the many wonderful beaches



Trip #2

This afternoon Nancy and I got back from two nights at South Skookum Lake near Usk in the Colville National Forest. Neither one of us had ever been there and I just happened to find it on a map. I think it is my new favorite place. It is just a little bitty campground with about 30 sites, some of them walk-in along the lake. The lake is tiny with no motors allowed and no beach. Only 5 of the sites were occupied Tuesday night and 2 on Wednesday night. The weather was pretty good with some wind. We took Walter and Elliot with us. Or should I say, Walter and I took Nancy and Elliot with us.


On Tuesday night we were in the tent and heard a loud splash and then some really heavy breathing. It was too dark to see but I think it was a moose. One time Morgan and I had backpacked to a little lake up near Sandpoint and we heard a very similar noise. We stuck our heads out of the tent and watched a moose swim across the lake in the full moonlight. It was also during the Perseids meteor shower and it was pure magic.


Nancy and I took a lot of little walks with the dogs but no hikes. We both read and slept and I tried a little fishing but did not catch anything. Nancy had a good time until Wednesday night when she got a bite on her eyelid. Her eye swelled shut and looked terrible. She has been doing ice and benedryl and it is starting to look a bit better. She has bites all over. I have one on my belly and that is it. We have decided to invest in some new sleeping mats. The ones we have are for backpacking and they are just not working for our 46 and 55 year old bodies. I just took a muscle relaxer.


I only have one full weekend off in July. I took a bunch of extra on-call shifts so I can pay for a canoe trip down the Flathead River in August. If Nancy can really get away we will go to the Flathead. If she can't, it is a solo trip for me to Mt. Ranier. It will be cheaper to do the solo trip because of the house sitter, but a river trip is much more fun with someone else (less paddling). I will probably fit in some day trips here and there. I will go insane if I don’t!



Elliot



Walter


Nancy


View out the back door



The perfect spot

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