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Day 6 of 6
Well the last day ... breakfast, lunch on the trail , pack up the cars and head for some BEER ON TAP.
We woke to the usual view of deer in camp. Coming to visit the Selenium salt lick placed to keep the deer from chewing on the leather harnesses and saddles for their salt. We would often have 3 or so in camp. One a nice buck.
Gail fried up a few of the fish we kept from Remmel Lake ... not a bit was wasted ... very good. We cleaned out our tents and brought our gear out to be packed and made sure we had our rain pants with us! Our jeans had dried out nicely in the wall tent.
Steve and Jess again expertly packed the mules and Cambell who had been relegated to a pack horse for the trip out. They both have won the "mule packing" competition which takes place in the spring so many times that they have been asked not to participate.
The Andrews Creek trail still shows signs of the Fire that raged in 2001. The more famous branch of destruction was in the next ridge over, the thirty mile fire which ran up Chewuch river and claimed the life of 4 firefighters. The trail was rehabilitated and reopened in 2004. There are signs of new growth amidst the scattered and burnt tree trunks. The force of the fire and the winds generated are appreciated by viewing the destruction left behind.
Well we made it out ... in at least and hours less time than it took to get in. Going downhill was faster but a bit more taxing on the knees. A final farewell to our hosts Steve and Jess Darwood. Doug says a farewell to Barnabus, his trusty steed. We all head off to Winthrop for a pint or two of some very cold and refreshing beer.
We will be back in 2011!!
Feel free to contact us for references if needed if you are thinking about going on a trip with either Cascade Wilderness Outfitters or North Cascade Outfitters (same management, Steve and Jess Darwood, just different territories). You can reach them through their web sites also (note - 2010 they consolidated their websites so both below go to the same site now) . Just realize that they don't get to their email or phone very often as they are out on the trail quite a bit. So leave a message. I can't say enough about the crew we were with. Simply outstanding.
Cascade Wilderness Outfitters - or - North Cascade Outfitters