August 2022 Olympic Mountains Backpack Trip with Colin Goggin

After several years of attempted but cancelled plans to adventure together, Colin and I head out for 4 days in the Olympic Mountains. We start each day (after coffee) with 45 minutes of silent meditation, and fill most the rest of each day with hiking and deeply satisfying conversation. Our loop begins just below Deer Ridge at Slab Camp trailhead from whence we follow Slab Camp Creek down to the Grey Wolf River, then up Grey Wolf to its confluence with Cameron and Grand Creeks. From there we climb back up to the ridge on the Three Forks Trail and descend along Deer Ridge back to the trailhead. Much of the thought behind the route choice was motivated by my effort to keep it safe and small. Slab Camp is the nearest trailhead to our house sit at Norton's, and each leg of the loop is under 5 miles. The close trailhead accommodates Colin's need to drive out from Bellingham on day 1 and get back home again on the afternoon of day 4. The short miles accommodate my uncertainty around my knees.

Once we were on the trail, we quickly left safe and small behind, each afternoon dropping our packs at campsite and heading out for supplemental day hikes up into ancient forests, wild blueberry meadows, and heady ridge lines high above the treeline.

As I write, sitting very still in the comfy chair back at Norton's, my knees are cranky, but my heart is full of gratitude and joy.

distance: 39.32 mi

min/max elev.: 1395'/6421'

elev. gain/loss: 11514'/-11448'

Day 1 Slab Camp to Slide Camp

distance: 7.106 mi

time: 6:15:24

min/max elev.: 1395'/3049'

elev. gain/loss: 2390'/-2642'

Colin has good luck with the ferries from Bellingham and arrives before 9am. We sit down and chat. Monica and Colin share sufi and Buddhist parables and we have delightful reflection on life, the spiritual path and our respective journeys with family and children.

I'd left my beloved ancient external frame backpack back in Ashland but Colin brought not just one but two options of extra packs from his house. After packing way too much weight on last month's bike tour and last year's backpack with Antonio, I've dedicated to taking less stuff, so my entire gear collection is spread out across the floor. Colin and Monica assist me putting each item up for the test and creating a small but significantly heavy pile of rejects. I opt for Colin's small Osprey pack which fits my body as well as the reduced set of gear.

Colin crams most of the food into the bear canister and we leave a couple pounds of that behind as well, and we are off.

Once in the car we are both surprised to find it is nearly 11:00, time did fly during our morning chat. The trailhead is close and easily found, we don the packs and head out.

Descending Slab Camp Trail is much less steep than I feared. The forest ferns are lovely, we chat non-stop, catching up on our lives and talking of how to care for our aging bodies yet continue to run and hike and climb. I snap a picture on a bridge.

Original plan was to stop at Camp Tony at the mouth of Slab Camp Creek, but Colin suggests we continue on to Slide Camp which will set us up for more of a day hike at the end day 2. Given the early hour and the happiness of my knees on this gentle descent, I agree immediately, and we pass Duncan Flats and Camp Tony, both lovely sites right on the shore of the Grey Wolf River.

The Upper Grey Wolf Trail quickly climbs above the river and we traverse the slope far above the water through forests of small diameter trees, we speculate whether fire or logging or some other factor has kept these trees small. We reach Slide Camp still quite early. I continue to fail to notice my camera is still in "under water" mode and snap a photo of the lovely creek next to camp.

I explore an unofficial trail which rises above the camp and return to report my theory that it leads to Baldy which rises to an astonishing elevation of 6827' just 2.25 miles from our camp at 2200'. After our Tasty Bite dinner Colin suggests we explore up the unofficial trail and we head up.

Colin tells of the marvels of Bellingham with its bike trails and University as we walk. After climbing 800 feet, we reach an opening and I am able to get a satellite message out to Sunny and Monica and we turn to descend. Colin finds what he is pretty sure are huckleberries and as he does not keel over 10 minutes after eating them, I join him in snacking on the wild abundance. We discuss the merits and sadly lacking longevity of Altra Lone Pine shoes and are quickly back at the tent for early deep sleep.

Day 2 Slide to Grey Wolf and Falls Camp

distance: 13.68 mi

time: 9:08:42

min/max elev.: 1984'/4078'

elev. gain/loss: 3322'/-3483'

Colin wakes first, a role reversal for me as most my life camping I'm the first up. The sound of him unzipping the tent door half wakes me and I enjoy snoozing in the still dark chill of the morning. Couple minutes later another zip from outside the tent. Then another. My addled half awake brain struggles with the zipping. "zipppp"..."zipppp"...minutes of silence..."zippp" sleeping brain struggles to understand, is Colin repeatedly leaving the tent? Where did all those zippers come from? "zippp"..."zippp" "Could we even have packed that many zippers?" I snooze and snooze and snooze.

After what seems like quite some time, I reach up to the special headlamp pocket in the roof of the tent (this is my very first night in Monica and my new backpacking tent featuring the (patented) Light Pocket. I am both amused at the ridiculousness of tent marketing while at the same time happy to lay my hand right on the headlamp. Exiting the tent I quickly locate Colin down by the creek by his reflective strip on his headlamp straps, and he quickly joins me by the stove and coffee is brewed.

After coffee, we sit for our daily 45 minute silent meditation.

We have a short hike to our next campsite, and spend the time telling each other stories of our fathers. In some ways, Colin's father is opposite of mine. Where his dad has passion and love of life, mine is stoic. Where my dad modeled life lived by a moral code, his led a more self-interested life. This conversation brings us closer to each other. Also an opportunity to see that both of our father had a downside. Where I have wished for a warmer more flexible father, I can hear in Colin's story the scars that he bears from such a dad, and where Colin may have wished for a dad who provided more of a moral compass, he could see the scars I bear from my strict Vulcan upbringing.

Our path climbs just above the contour of the valley slope above the Grey Wolf River, winding into steep gullies and fording creeks with dramatic mossy waterfalls. We take a short break beside one fall then follow the trail down to the confluence of the Grey Wolf and Cameron Creek. We are amazed to find yet another beautiful and deserted campsite, this one with rushing rivers on two sides. After lunch and refilling water we set down the packs and head up the Upper Grey River Trail with the possibility of Cedar Lake. As we started up the river I was silently seeking a spot for a cold plunge, and just as we approached the place marked "ford" on the map, I see a dam created by downed timber and rocks and step off the trail. "This is the place." I say. "What place is that?" asks Colin. "This is the place for the cold plunge." Many people I hike with are at best cold plunge reluctant and some are downright opposed. Colin, on the other hand, was stripped and plunging while I was still untying my shoes, but I'm soon to join in the deep rushing pool of "water which was a glacier just a short time ago". Bracing! Enlivening! What a treat to share enthusiasm for the plunge. I share Micah's telling me he had found neurological research showing that regular cold plunges cause long term increases in serotonin levels, which has led him to turning the shower to cold each morning.

We are soon back on the trail and cross a log bridge just above the ford. Turns out the fording is for horses. Our pace is fast up along the cascading river. As we climb up the valley, the trees get bigger and the ground more and more moss-covered. At one particularly mossy slope, I snap some photos of Colin and his good hair day.

We reach Falls Camp at 4000 feet elevation where I am sad to see no waterfalls. Stopping by the creek we sit and watch the fish swimming in place. Colin tells me about what it feels like to run his ultra trail marathons, and debate whether to try for Cedar Lake which lies another couple miles and 1200 feet of climbing beyond Falls Camp. I take my time contemplating, and after a short walk about the wide flat rocky creekbed decide against pushing onward. But I do want to find some waterfalls. After wandering a bit, we conclude the waterfall is not downstream and start back up the Grey Wolf. We come across wild blueberries, and after snacking decide they are a perfectly acceptable waterfall substitute and turn back toward camp.

Dinner night two is the pasta with pesto, sundried tomatoes, pesto sauce from a packet, and salmon from a can. Yum. Double yum. Happy bellies. I am pleased to have satisfied with my grocery shopping. Deep sleep comes quickly.

Editorial Note: While checking the map during this writing to verify Falls Camp elevation, I finally see that the waterfall is marked on the USGS map just above the camp but not on Grey Wolf River. The falls are on Cedar Creek heading up toward the lake. Now I know we will need to return some day to see the falls and reach the lake.

Day 3 Grey Wolf to Deer Park and Maiden Peak

distance: 13.30 mi

time: 10:06:38

min/max elev.: 2063'/6421'

elev. gain/loss: 5558'/-2302'

I woke several times during the night and my sleepy brain struggled to understand the sound of the river. There is something so precious in that confused other worldly mind space of half awake - the blending of dream world and waking world - the way that waking reality becomes somehow transformed into mystery. These moments are like gems for me.

We meditated at our campsite. I sat with my back against the solid pine tree, Colin found a comfortable position in the open. My meditation moved through the SoulWork sequence - Earth, Water, Fire, Air, arriving at the Garden of the Heart, inviting in High Self and meeting other selves. Writing now, I'm not quite recalling the forms my selves took at the time, but I do know that I was able to channel enough of the love of High Self to one of my protectors to the point they were able to step down and after the meditation, I was able to tell Colin how much I love him. I did this by recalling the story of the afternoon he, David Heiser and I smoked a bowl at Parr House during our senior year. Opening this small door into my inner world, allowing Colin a peek inside feels so good. The rejection my protector fears so much did not come to pass.

From yesterday's experience I know that the satellite messenger is not able to connect from the campsite, so I place it again on the rock in the middle of the river downstream from us where I had gotten a message out before. "All is well," streams out over the airwaves to our loved ones back at home.

We breakfast and break camp and begin our hike. The small door I'd opened up becomes a flood of light as I relate my meditation experience and the ideas of SoulWork with Colin as we begin the steep ascent toward Deer Camp. All the information I'd been able to find about Deer Camp had warned that there is no potable water there, but the map shows a spring and creek. We'd debated considerably about whether to fill up on water on our way up. Meeting a few others hiking down, we ask each group whether there was water we could filter at Deer Creek and no one is able to confirm or deny. At the final watering stop on the way up, we decide to risk it and climb light, hoping that the "no water" warnings are for the car campers who arrive with no filters.

Just beyond this choice point, I suddenly realize I'd forgotten to retrieve the satellite messenger from its perch on the river rock. Even before I finish telling Colin this bad news I can see in his eye that he will run down the steepness to retrieve it. Once more, the nightmares of my protector selves do not come to pass. Instead of facing rejection for my "horrible mistake" of forgetting my messenger at the campsite, I can see Colin happily taking the opportunity to exercise his running strength. Waiting by the stream for Colin to return, I'm filled with glowing warmth. I hear him just before I see him running back up, his breath is like a steam locomotive as he toils up the steep slope and smiles as he produces the messenger. I demand and receive a most wondrous sweaty hug.

Looking back on this experience as I write, I notice how when I opened up to share my inner world, I was able to experience my joy more fully throughout the day.

We continue to ascend, and Colin shares his meditation experience. He speaks of seeing the spark of awareness in other people, meeting others as full beings. I ask what he sees in people when he is not seeing the light of awareness in their eyes, and his answer is "attraction, revulsion, or indifference" gives me a wonderful feeling of togetherness.

Reaching Deer Camp, we pass by the first campsites and on our search for the spring, we encounter an extraordinarily friendly car camper who immediately offers one of his extra gallons of water. As I write, I'm not quite able to recall his name, let's call him Dale. Dale let's us know that he will be setting up a telescope for stargazing and that he has just returned from a survey of the declining marmot population.

Without need to discuss, we turn down Dale's offer of water and find the spring along with a nearby deluxe campsite featuring a large wooden shelter. I let go of my inclination to take the most remote of the sites, and we pay our fee, drop our packs, eat lunch and head out on our day hike toward Hurricane Ridge.

Day 4 Deer Park to Slab Camp

distance: 5.239 mi

time: 3:46:51

min/max elev.: 2533'/5403'

elev. gain/loss: 243'/-3020'