The Women’s Beginning Backpacking class took place in Salem on June 14. A follow up trip on the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail was scheduled for the first weekend of summer. The trip was launched in high spirits but ended in victory for the mercurial Oregon weather gods!!
On Friday June 20, the instructor and three beginner backpackers set up shuttle vehicles and started to hike just as the rain also got started. The 5-mile hike past Clear Lake, Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls was wet but wonderful. We set up camp at Ice Cap Campground, cooked up some hot beverages and found ourselves standing in 40-degree pouring rain.
Our trip motto was “This is supposed to be Fun.” However, as the fun meter dipped dangerously low and the prospects of any type of campfire were drowned, we discovered that the Gummy Bears were too cold and hard to enjoy. This proved to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back! Two of us hiked the 5 miles back to the vehicle and by 8 pm we were loaded up and on our way back home.
All in all, this was a successful trip with lots of lessons learned about being optimistic as long as possible and then making timely decisions so that we will all live to hike another day.