backpacking | Washington State Hiking Pursuing Balance Thru Adventure

CHOPAKA MOUNTAIN NATURAL AREA PRESERVE

LOOMIS NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION AREA

Activity: Backpacking, Peak Bagging, Camping

8.5 miles, 2,782′ elevation gain, 6.5 hours moving duration, rated Moderate to Hard

Chopaka Mountain elevation: 7,884′

Hurley Peak elevation: 7,805′

Joe Mills Mountain elevation: 7,658′

Date: 8/12-14/22

Chopaka Mountain is a standout among the skyline of mountains I spied while kayaking nearby beautiful Palmer Lake. I had my goals set on climbing it along with another couple nearby high spots.

I drove my Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro up the steep dirt mountain roads to the Cold Springs Trailhead not far from the tiny town of Loomis, Washington a friendly place in North Central Washington perfect to get away from it all surrounded by an abundance of Nature.

It was a short hike along an old road bed before exiting into the forest and towards the summit. It was late in the day. The forest began opening up as the incline continued to steepen. I found a level spot about half way up the mountain and pitched my tent.

**This shot is taken from Chopaka Mountain looking out at what is referred to as South Chopaka Mountain.**

I could see some weather rolling in and I thought to myself this is not a great place to be in a thunderstorm. Luckily the storm with it’s high winds, lighting strikes, and down pour skirted my location, perched on the side of Chopaka Mountain, leaving me nothing but an entertaining light show.

The next morning there were low clouds obscuring my view as I made the trek through a field of talus, no walk in the park, towards the top. Once on top the clouds lifted enough such that I caught peak-a-boo views of the surrounding mountains and the valley below. A rugged, but beautiful spot.

Dropping to the north saddle it was onward to Hurley Peak and more spectacular views began to break through the clouds to include Canada not far off from my position. The peaks were rocky and rough. As I descended in elevation in between the peaks I was delighted by wonderful stands of splendid firs.

The funny things is I shot some video from the cliffs of Hurley Peak bragging about how I had this entire incredible area with it’s wondrous peaks and superb views all to myself. It wasn’t long afterwards that I ran into a charming couple of naturalists with their butterfly nets. They were hunting an uncommon species of butterfly.

**Naturalists explain “Islands in the Sky”.**

We had an interesting conversation regarding how this area was special. It had some of the rarest forms of flora and fauna in the state of Washington. The reason for this uniqueness is this triad of mountains, with elevations around 7,800′, were tall enough that when the glacier came through the area 15,000 years ago scraping the land, these peaks remained untouched. So they became “Islands in the Sky” with a different eco system then that of the lands below. The Naturalists swore me to secrecy as if this was the land of the Big Foot or something. Oh hang on, I think that it is… I reassured them that no one reads my blog posts not even my own sister. They just like the pretty pictures.

To prove this point I promised to run a contest: the first one of my Followers that Emails me at pursuingbalancethruadventure@gmail.com  the secret password: "Chopaka Mountain, Island in the Sky" will receive a free 'Pursuing Balance Through Adventure Shirt' and everyone that emails the password will receive a free 'Pursuing Balance Through Adventure' sticker (while supplies last).  If this post goes viral such that it threatens this fragile habitat I will then pull the article, that's the promise.

After my third peak of the day, which was Joe Mills Mountain, I headed back to my rig. I camped in my rig at a primitive campground not far from the trailhead that night before heading out after breakfast the following day. I had a great conversation with some through hikers that were also camped at the location.

What a super few days of outdoor fun. Chopaka Mountain one of the Islands in the Sky very cool!

**Met these nice Through Hikers atCampground near the Trailhead.**

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“Good Vibes on Mountains High” – Roger Jenkins,
‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’

Thanks for coming along the trail with me as I found myself ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ in search of multiple peaks to bag. Hiking 3 Peaks is a little on the adventurous side, but certainly rewarding. There are more explorations ahead, so please stay with me for more adventure. It is easy to do with a few simple yet important steps: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. The menu above is helpful and can serve as your guide to inspiration. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. To really feel the part checkout SHOP APPAREL for your Adventure Wear needs.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

LAKE CHELAN NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

SAWTOOTH WILDERNESS

OKANOGAN NATIONAL FOREST

Activity: Backpacking

Distance 18 miles, 1800’ elevation gain, duration approximately 12 hours of hiking, rated Moderate to Strenuous

Date: June 17-19, 2020

Nestled in the North Cascades Lake Chelan is 50 miles of Summer. At one end it is a respite from the busy, hectic life in bustling Seattle filled with lakeside homes, cabins and condos, ski boats, swimmers and sun bathers. The other end is quite different. Because of the ruggedness of this area there are no roads to the small town of Stehekin at the far end of the lake. The only way to get there is by boat or float plane keeping this area pristine and majestic.

Lake Chelan is as blue as sapphires and the views along the way compare with picturesque scenes of Norway. The long slender lake reminds me of the fjords in Alaska. Lake Chelan’s idyllic shores are heavily forested with green firs, although the area is also recovering from a damaging fire a few years back. Some of the world’s roughest mountain peaks stand as silent snow capped sentinels keeping watch over this remarkable place.

Lake Chelan, the largest freshwater lake in the state of Washington, fills a valley formed by a glacier that cut through the area making it the deepest gorge in the USA, 8,631’, measuring from the top of Pyramid Mountain to the low point of Lake Chelan 386’ below sea level. Chelan means deep water, in fact it is the 3rd deepest lake in America behind California’s Lake Tahoe and Oregon’s Crater Lake.

We boarded a boat at Fields Point, not far from the city of Wenatchee. National Geographic claims this trip is a “must do” taking about an hour through some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable. We disembarked at Prince Creek shouldering our backpacks and heading out on this special adventure into the wilderness.

Our trek along the scenic Lake Shore Trail would be 18 miles long and is rated moderate to strenuous with 1800’ of elevation gain. We hiked in mid June, which is not recommended as the Summer months can reach temperatures over 100 degrees, but we had just had some rain and it was unusually cooler than normal, but I will say that even the mid to upper 80’s was quite warm. It seemed we were seldom hiking along a flat plane, constantly climbing or descending. Most of the trail is a couple hundred feet over the lake, but at times drops to within 50 feet of the lapping lakeside. Much of the time you will have a view of the water, and some of the open vistas will take your breath away with the stunning natural beauty of the blue lake, the green forest, hills, mountains, and strikingly rugged snowy peaks.

The vegetation was diverse ranging from ponderosa pine forest, as well as some of the burn area, to dry, hot, grassy and rocky areas. We fording multiple rushing streams and dropped down into green, lush, creek fern grottos. Although we only encountered lizards, a blue grouse, and a deer on our trip the area is also home to black bear, elk, and rattlesnake.

After a long day of hiking at the quick pace, set by backpacking enthusiasts brother in law Dale, and my sister Peggy, we arrived at our camping destination just South of Moore Point. After a bit of bush whacking, in order to find just the right spot, we settled in. Wow, what a place to camp! In the forest, right on a the edge of a little bluff, with a stupendous view of the lake, mountains and peaks. Peggy treated us to a scrumptious homemade camp meal Salmon Curry Couscous. The following day we doctored our sore, blistered feet and continued our journey through this land of wonder ultimately arriving tired yet satisfied at the quaint town of Stehekin.

Peggy and Dale take in the serenity of the moment after a long hot day of backpacking.

**“Beautiful Lake Chelan! It probably has no equal for beauty and wonderful scenery any where on the habitable glove. Those who come to Chelan are charmed…” – The Chelan Leader 1892**

It has been said that Lake Chelan’s Lake Shore Trail ranks among the World’s Best, and is certainly a bucket list type of experience. Something to be cherished. Thanks for joining Dale, Peggy and I as we backpacked our way through the wilds of Lake Chelan National Recreation Area while “Pursuing Balance Through Adventure”. Take a moment to LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW, and SHARE. There is more to this adventure and you don’t want to miss it. Checkout the menu above for other locations to ”find yourself” in, they are all separate sites and thus need to be followed individually. If you like the long sleeve performance shirt in the picture of me and the boat or the face gator with the PBTA insignia then visit SHOP APPAREL and get yours today.

Happy Trails,

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure