It’s story time! For those who are new here, I have kept a record of Chloe’s and my adventures during our travels! I write and publish these about a year after they happen, for various reasons, but mostly per my grandma’s advice. And I don’t know about you, but you ALWAYS listen to your Grandma’s advice- they know. Here we Go! Brace yourselves, it’s time for an enticing, incredible, thrilling and heart wrenching: A Tail of Chloe Rue (I know its tale, I just can’t help it).
Guess who is back and SO excited to share more adventure tails with you! It’s CHLOE RUE! And me too! But Chloe especially loved our solo get-away up to Washington’s Olympic Mountains last year. It’s honestly one of those trips that went so smoothly, like icing on a cake or mosquito ripples in calm waters, that it gave me some great confidence in my solo adventure skills! As our next solo backpacking trip approaches this fall, I am so excited to share more about how we embraced a solo backpacking trip right next to Olympc National Park, Washington.
Choosing a Trail
Dog Friendly national parks are tough. I love to use the All Trails app, because it does tell you if a trail is dog friendly, or not! It’s especially helpful for navigating areas that are on or near a national park. I choose trails that are typically in National Forests, near the National Park. This way I can see the vegetation, mountains, and experience the area without the crowds AND with my dog!
In this case I had made the choice to hike the Tubal Cain Trail. There was a crashed airplane, a beautiful lake where I would camp, a mountaintop that allowed multiple trail options to extend my time in nature if I so chose! One of which was along a ridge, and ended up being my choice exploration. With those perks in mind, Chloe and I headed north from Oregon, to the Olympic Mountains in Washington for a long weekend.
Hot Days, Hot Dog
It was September, and unfortunately along the west coast, the fall does not always strike as chilly right away. Chloe and I began our hike in a luscious, shaded forest where we explored our way toward the crashed airplane in a busier section of the hike. We found a cool, watery cave to explore and so deeply enjoyed this cool scenery that we lost track of time. The temperatures were rising and we were still quite far away from our lakeside campsite that I was so looking forward to.
Therefore Chloe and I put on our packs, and continued our trek uphill. Relentlessly uphill in the striking sun. See, I love winter camping. I LOVE winter backpacking. Cold weather is my jam. And September is just not quite late enough in the year to truly enjoy fall colors and cold weather. I would like to say I learned my lesson on this; but sometimes you just have to drink a ton of water, put on your hat and keep walking through the heat. Or, keep track of time instead of exploring watery caves so you don’t wind up hiking in the heat of the day. Either way, Chloe and I continued up the mountain.
That was, until the savory moment Chloe and I dipped down again, into the dark cool forest toward a beautiful lake. It was an off-shoot from the main hike and where we planned to set up camp. I was SO excited for this lake side scene, remembering the dazzling starry night I experienced last year near Three Fingered Jack Mountain in Oregon. I had a tent instead of my hammock this season, and went to work setting it up, enjoying a fine dehydrated dinner, while Chloe found herself savoring the cold water of an alpine lake.
We were there at camp, enjoying the view when I heard something so entirely unexpected. Hooves! Horse hooves, many of them were approaching our camp. I quickly grabbed Chloe Rue, not knowing how she might respond to such large not-dog animals and we stood up tall to be seen. There they were: a beautiful caravan of a donkey, dog, multiple horses carrying packs climbing their way to the lake for a cool moment. It was an entire family, savoring the Olympic Mountains from horseback. Though I was definitely startled, I had to revel in what an amazing experience that had to be for the family. Of course I can imagine they had their feuds- there had to be that one kiddo who absolutely did not want to be there, and the fearless mother leading the troop, and the father who was talkative and involved with everyone and everything. Yet I found it fun to wave at them from a distance and imagine how the family might have grown stronger after such an amazing experience in the woods. They did not stay long to rest, and continued their quest up the mountain. I would follow them the next day.
Cresting the Ridge of the Mountains
I will be honest: There were no diamond worlds that night on, what I now hailed “horse family lake”, as the moon was a bright crest shining through the trees. I could not complain though, as the weather cooled and the sun faded over the mountains; I felt so much peace. My best advice that often goes neglected when backpacking is: enjoy your campsites! Pick one that makes you smile and savor its beauty. I learned this when white water rafting on the Rogue with friends. Campsites, sitting peacefully with no internet, relaxing in nature, writing, editing photos, fishing, playing fetch in the water with your dog, just sitting and petting your dog while staring at the beauty surrounding you: all happen at the campsite if we allow it. So there is one of my favorite backpacking tips. Enjoy your campsite! And of course, leave it more beautiful and untouched than you found it.
The next day was time to hike as high as I could go. I chose to do what they call “slack packing” meaning I had to make it back to my camp that night, instead of bringing it all up the mountain then back down. I loved my campsite so much, I did not want to leave it. Instead, I left most of my gear and took what I needed for the day, and began my ascent.
The weather was incredible. It was clear, calm, and more cool the further I climbed. My body felt rejuvenated from a restful night. There were no people, no scary animals, just many beautiful birds. I felt so completely in touch with the nature around me. Chloe pranced forward, and I allowed her off leash as we ascended (which is controversial I know, but considering how empty the trail was I felt confident she would recall if anything popped up- and we didn’t see anyone/thing out there all day). We climbed to the crest of a ridge, and savored the view of the mountains. As we climbed, I turned my phone off, and just enjoyed the silence away from my love of photography. I wanted to see with my eyes, instead of see with my camera lens, for once.
It was a perfect day, exploring the ridgetop. I ached to stay out until sunset, but was not prepared to night hike, and could not set up camp as I chose to slackpack. I did not find the horse family; I am sure they were miles ahead of me now. So that entire day I was free from interacting with anything other than my good girl, Chloe Rue. Have you ever had a day like that? Where you are completely alone in nature for an entire day? I feel we are always interacting with nature- from where we place our feet, to where the oxygen we inhale comes from, to where our sweat drips onto the dirt- and to me, that day, that interaction (plus the important talks with Chloe) was everything I needed.
As we returned in the late afternoon back to our lakeside camp, it was clear that Chloe was enjoying her time free from her leash, wild in nature together. My next piece of advice for you all- choose the unpopular hikes. Go backpacking in the places where no one usually feels comfortable exploring. The hikes with the steep elevation, the weekdays, the early mornings. Sometimes we love people, and sometimes it feels more liberating than anything else to be free from everyone.
Peaceful Hike Out
The last day on the trail is always the hardest. Mentally, you are telling yourself- I am only a few hours away from a warm shower! Physically, your body is feeling the aches from pushing itself to its limits. And spiritually, no part of you wants to leave the untouched nature! A long weekend is never long enough, but at least you know that you chased an adventure solo, and savored every second of it.
One of my favorite parts of this hike, other than the way the clouds formed at the summit, and the way the moon shone over the lake, was in the more popular section, where the rainforest shined in its green, shaded, thick with vegetation and tree-moss-monster glory. Books will describe the ‘dark forest’ and how the trees are so tall and thick that they block out the sun. Stories will tell you legends about creatures and witches that dwell in the dark forests. Personally, I had imagined a forest like this many times, but to experience it in the Olympic National Forest- well that was a whole other thing. This dark forest felt ANYthing but creepy. It felt like home. Like the tall trees were sending down pine needles of encouragement, the dark moss flowing from their limbs were just dying to give me a warm hug (like Olaf from frozen, but actually even warmer). I felt so comfortable in this dark forest. I couldn’t help but to capture this moment, and hold on to the fact that stories and legends might not always have it figured out correctly.
Final Advice
When you choose to go on a solo backpacking trip (which I KNOW will happen for you, if it’s something you dream about), here is my advice. First, go in December! I am just kidding. Definitely know that when you are outside, mother nature is the master of the weather. Respect her, and make plans accordingly. Choose a campsite carefully, then ENJOY it! Explore around it, swim in the freezing water, play with your dog, make delicious food. Just be sure to savor that time. When you are intentional about being alone, it is possible to spend an entire day, with yourself and your adventure dog. Turn off that phone, tune into yourself. Last, choose your trail wisely. Choose a trail that is friendly for you, your dog, and meets your needs.
Have you ever been to Olympic National Park? What is your best advice for solo backpacking through the Olympic Mountain Ranges? Have you ever seen a plane crash in the wilderness before? I hope you are enjoying the beautiful end of summer and staggering beginning of fall as our season begins to shift! Stay healthy, and as always, many happy tails and happy trails to you all.
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