Our failed Wonderland Trail backpacking adventure – Part 4 – Cataract Valley to Eagle’s Roost

Day 3

After the struggles of our previous day, we were very much looking forward to a shorter day of about 4.7 miles. We slept in a bit, but not too much. We had changed our sleeping arrangements, and instead of staggering everyone in the sleeping bags, we took our reflective pads and slept directly on them, and then used the sleeping bags like blankets, giving us an extra layer on top. I don’t know if the temperature at Cataract Valley was any different than Granite Creek, but we definitely stayed warmer.

We cooked our dinner from the previous night, which meant a hot breakfast of couscous with beef & onion flavoring. It was passable, but not worth a repeat. One consolation was the warmth, which made our tummies happy.

Sandy was also at Cataract Valley that night, and she stopped by as we were breaking camp. She had heard us come in during the night and was like “thank you God”, and said she had been praying for us. She was headed to Mowich Lake that night. We chatted briefly, and she was off. That was the last time we saw her. We don’t know how the rest of her WT hike went, and we hope she made it around the mountain!

Our destination this day was Eagle’s Roost, and our route would be taking us through Spray Park, with the hope of seeing beautiful flower filled meadows.

Mom’s back was still quite sore, and some of our feet were needing attention. We got everything re-packed and headed out, hoping this day would offer a break to our bodies and minds. We were soon to discover this day was going to be anything but easy.

About a quarter mile down the trail, I suddenly realized that I had left a bunch of our socks drying on bushes near our campsite. Aww, how stupid! Way to go, Mr. short day. We really needed those socks. I grabbed our 6 year old (who at this point was doing about the best of any of us), and we headed back to retrieve the socks while the rest of the family continued on. The socks were right where I left them, and after stuffing them in our pockets we returned for our packs and began playing catch up.

We knew the first half of this day would be steadily uphill, but we weren’t prepared mentally for what was to transpire. As we worked our way up through the forest, there were more stops for foot doctoring, resting, and getting water. Going uphill also meant going slower, and our morning just dragged on and on.

At some point, I noticed both shoulder straps on mom’s pack were coming apart. These help to cinch the pack closer to the shoulders, and the threads were coming undone. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to stop and sew them, and even if we did have time, this area of the pack was made of extra thick fabric, and sewing it looked like a pointless endeavor. I ended up using some para-cord to tie the straps to the internal frame, and thankfully this held for the rest of the trip.

On this day we encountered the only stream we would end up fording on our hike. The books warn you that bridges occasionally wash out, and wading may be necessary, so bring your water shoes. This was a unique stream, flowing down a flat rock face. It was just wide enough, that we couldn’t jump across, and there were no stepping stones. To avoid everyone removing shoes and socks, I ended up carrying everybody across as my feet turned numb. Then they all waited while I dried off and reapplied tape to my feet. It was all kind of anti-climatic.

The trees started thinning out as we climbed higher, and we stopped for lunch at one of the last shady spots. We aired out our feet and checked blister status. This was when I realized our sunscreen was almost out. The aerosol can was about done, and we didn’t have a resupply until Longmire, about 5 days away. We needed to start wearing long sleeves and pants and our bandannas to cover our heads and necks, using the sunscreen as conservatively as possible until we could acquire more. Mowich Lake was only a day away, and I could try and buy some sunscreen off of some picnickers or day hikers. Mom had also been using the ibuprofen for her back pain, and we were almost out. I would have to try to find more of this also.

After lunch, we covered our arms and legs with longer clothing and re-applied sunscreen as the next few hours looked to be in the open without any tree cover. The progress was slow going as we trudged uphill, watching the trail turn rocky — big rocks, loose rocks, sharp rocks, and shale.

At times, it seemed the “top” was in view, but we would reach it only to find a false summit tricking us into thinking we were “almost there.” Our morale was starting to slip again. Our short day was feeling anything but short.

At one point we looked up to see some tiny hikers high up on a ridge in the distance, and we groaned as we supposed that was where we were headed. It looked so far away. After a while, we met these hikers going down, a father and two teenagers. The dad said they had just taken a 4 hour detour that led them further up the mountain, when they should have continued down the trail we were currently on. He said, “When you reach the fork, stay to the right, don’t go left. That’s the detour we took.”

Sure enough, when we reached the fork, there was no trail sign, and the bigger cairn was pointing at the wider trail to the left. The right trail was smaller and had a less obvious cairn further down the trail. We pulled out the map, and it wasn’t very clear, but going to the right seemed like the correct direction, so we took it. Sure enough, this was the correct route. Without the warning from the other hikers, we might have taken the left trail, and who knows how far out of our way we would have gone before realizing our error. We thanked God for this blessing.

We had finally reached the real top and soon began our descent. The trail leveled out somewhat, giving our legs a much needed break. The rough trail turned smoother, and the rocky terrain began turning into grassy meadows.

Soon we were strolling through beautiful flowery meadows. There were patches of lupine, bear grass, paintbrush, and other varieties.

Our pace quickened and the rest of the day went quite quickly as we descended to Eagle’s Roost. We arrived with a few hours of daylight to spare, which was good, but not very encouraging with the “short” distance we had traveled. We had a hot dinner of ramen, spam and summer sausage. It was delicious.

After cleaning up, we got the kids ready for bed and into the tent. Most crashed and were soon asleep.

Mom and I sat down to talk. Amidst all the activity of the past few days, there had been no time for us to connect and have a real conversation. We started discussing the trip so far. The collective mood was grumpy and glum. Our bodies were taking a beating. Our 11 year old’s knee was continuing to cause him sharp pain. Mom’s back didn’t seem to be getting any better, and her pack coming apart was a concern. Our overall inefficiency was a problem, as was our slow pace. Looking at our itinerary, we had a couple more 10+ mile days, and our hope of reaching these camps in the light seemed unlikely.

The obvious question was if we should call it quits. All those months of preparation and throwing in the towel after 4 days?? Arghhhh, there was so much conflict in my mind. Mom knew I would be reluctant to consider cutting our WT trip short, but that was what made the most sense, I had to admit. As much as I hated giving up, for the sake of all involved it seemed the wisest choice. We were almost to Mowich Lake, where I could try and find a ride back to White River. After more discussion and praying about it, we agreed that stopping at Mowich Lake was the best plan, and then we could do some car camping at Cougar Rock or White River. We felt really good about this decision, and our moods picked up after this conversation.

Getting a ride from Mowich Lake to White River seemed like it might be difficult, since our vehicle was on the other side of the mountain about 2 hours away by car. Most people leaving the lake were probably headed west toward Seattle. Mom recalled that another family that she had talked to the day before (also staying at Eagle’s Roost that night), were finishing their hike at Mowich Lake the next day. We could ask where they were headed afterward. It was a long shot, but it was still light out, and after some hesitation we walked over to their camp. We explained our situation and inquired of their plans after Mowich Lake. They were, in fact actually headed back around and past White River on their way to Yakima to stop at Miner’s for some burgers. LuRae, the mom, realizing our plight, asked if we needed a ride? Yes!! She was with her adult daughter and boyfriend, but her husband Jeff and other daughter were gone on a side hike. She was almost sure they could give me a ride, and she would discuss it with Jeff and then we could talk again in the morning. They were a nice Christian family and, after some further discussion, we found out they were related to our former optometrist, and we had met one of their relatives at a church we were visiting only a few weeks earlier. A small world to be sure. It seemed the Lord was confirming our decision, and providing the ride we needed.

We went back to camp and headed for bed. Our 13 year old was still awake, so we shared our decision and new plan with her, and she was very excited. We dropped off to sleep feeling hopeful and at peace.

> NEXT: PART 5 – EAGLE’S ROOST TO MOWICH LAKE

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