So, so frustrating. We had planned to backpack into Packwood Lake but about a mile before the trailhead we found the road snowed over and had to turn back. We looked for other places to at least car camp for the evening but they were pricy (a camp site at Alder Lake ran $16 for ONE NIGHT). Lessons learned:
a. Know the area well enough so you can figure alternate routes to the trail if needed
b. Be prepared to have your plans change (backup hikes? campgrounds?)
c. The southern Cascade logging towns are VERY reminiscient of southern Arkansas chicken towns.
d. There are several towns between Seattle and Packwood, WA where people do not pee. No public restrooms, even if you buy something. No rest stops. No anything. Bring a bottle.
So, we drove all the way up to as far as we could go, took a few pictures of the one view we had, then drove back. Six hours in the car. In Puyallup, we had some of the most amazing sun-lit views of Mt. Rainier. As I took a picture of it, we passed a billboard which blocked the view of only the mountain. It sort of summed up the trip. Then, we had a freaky cloud go over Seattle. There was no storm associated with this cloud, at least not in Wallingford. It got a little windy for a bit, maybe some sprinkles, and that was it. Outside of a pre-tornado sky when the sky gets all green, ozone-y, and quiet, it was the scariest sky I've seen.
