23 April 2018
It was cool this morning when I waked up. I think it was around 42 F. I settled for freeze dried biscuits and sausage and gravy – yum – just add boiling water. After that, I packed the Ford Explorer with my pack and headed out to Agnes Gorge.
It’s supposed to be a 2.5 mile one way hike to the gorge with views of Mount Agnes along the way. One tourist information magazine said hop on your bike and ride 2 miles to the starting point. Rightttt! It was 9 miles to the start of the trail.
It’s so far back into the woods, you actually enter North Cascades National Park. All of Lake Chelan and the town of Stehekin are outside the park boundaries but if you go far enough north, you enter the park.
To get there, you have paved roads until you pass Stehekin Airport – yes, they really have an airport. Then you hit a dirt/gravel road that twists and turns for 7 miles. I was able to turn the Explorer around on the narrow road and park at a pull out just below the trailhead. I started the hike around 9:30 am.
My first view was of Glacier Lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum) and my first time to see these in bloom. They are spectacular and eye catching. In one case, I found an small field of them.
It’s interesting how they can melt their way through the snow.
This is an uphill hike but very gradual (or I’m getting into shape) and so I didn’t need to stop to catch my breath. About halfway into the hike, I started to hit some snow patches.
As much as possible, I was trying to follow foot prints from previous hikers. No one was on the trail today, so they were all old foot prints. All of a sudden it dawned on me someone had a very large foot print. I looked down and saw claw marks at the end of the foot print and realized I had been following a bear’s trail in the snow.
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As you rounded one bend in the trail, you had a spectacular view of Mount Agnes in the distance.
Parts of the trail are not for people with acrophobia. One loose step and it was a straight 300 foot drop into the Stehekin River.
The trail continued upward and the snow continued to cover the trail. Finally at mile 1.3, I lost the trail entirely. I was not the only one since foot prints went in all directions hunting for the trail. I called an end to the hike and retraced my steps.
The trail was easy but the snow patches were difficult. One time I sank up to my knees. Often, you would take a step thinking the snow was firm and then crash through. It really wasn’t good for my ankle and it started to throb on the return trip.
You also had to cross several melting snow streams and balance your way across.
I regret losing the trail but it was a thoroughly enjoyable hike. I got off the trail around 12:30 pm and headed for the town of Stehekin for lunch at the restaurant – open from noon until 2 pm most days. After eating a hamburger and fires, I purchased a BLT to go with a coke for tonight.
As I got in the Explorer to return to the cabin, I felt something crawling on my neck. I brushed it off thinking it was one of the Hemipteran bugs that seem to be breeding everywhere. They are all over the cabin, the Explorer, and everything else.
After I got to the cabin, I was sitting at the computer and a tick crawled across my hand, I immediately took off my shirt and found 2 more. I quickly shucked clothes and checked inside and out for more ticks. I’ll probably feel them crawling all over me the rest of the day even though I checked in the mirror and couldn’t see any more. My hostess’ daughter was walking by and I told her about the ticks. She said yeah, they’ve been out for a couple of weeks. Wish they had let me know sooner. I would have put on repellent.
Tomorrow, I plan an easy day. I’ll drive the 2 miles into Stehekin and do a short loop near the restaurant and the hike a portion of the lake trail. The lake trail is actually 17 miles long but I’ll only hike what my ankle allows. The high tomorrow is in the 70’s.
