I've been thinking of myself as a huckleberry hound after yesterday's outing. (Incidentally, "Huckleberry Hound" was always one of my favorite cartoons - there's just something about a blue dog, I guess).
I took a vacation day yesterday and headed into the Indian Heaven Wilderness to pick huckleberries. It's something I've always wanted to do, and seemed like a perfect bookmark to this summer of adventure, which began on a hike into the same area back on July 1st. I've certainly crammed a lot of activities in between both trips.
I left the house at 9:00, and arrived at the Thomas Lake trailhead shortly before 11:00. Immediately, it was obvious that I wasn't the only one who'd come up with this Friday plan, as the parking lot was full when I got there. I set out on the trail, and there were three moms with young children in a group, all picking huckleberries. I was amazed, because the moment I hit the trail I was surrounded by the luscious blue berries. I'd assumed I would have to hike a little ways to find them, but that was not case; you literally couldn't hold your arms out to your sides without brushing against huckleberry bushes. "Abundant" is an understatement. I spent four hours plucking those tart little berries from their branches, ending up with about a half-gallon by the time I finished. And then, because I'm a sucker for punishment, I decided to make the hike to Blue Lake. Unbeknownst to me, this ended up being about a 7-mile journey. I'd picked up a map from the trailhead, but it didn't list a distance to Blue Lake, and I'd never been there before. It was pretty late to set out on a hike - after 3:00 - and the sky was growing dark in advance of an approaching storm. But, I'd missed Blue Lake last time, and I was determined to find it this time around.
It was a pretty good hike, though the first 1/3 of it was a steep climb uphill that had me huffing and puffing. I was a little nervous, because I knew that there are black bears around Indian Heaven, attracted to the huckleberries, and sure enough I saw signs of their presence while walking: bear scat, tracks in the mud, tree stumps that had been clawed. I became keenly aware of the fact that I was hiking alone, in bear country, and the hour was growing late. But I soldiered on, and eventually did come across a few other people. Blue Lake ended up being about 3.5 miles each way, and the journey was well worth it; I haven't seen water that blue since Crater Lake. Unfortunately, the sky was overcast, and so I probably missed out on the true beauty of the water, but it was still a sight to see. Most of the hike was through relatively flat meadows teeming with huckleberries, though it began and ended in the forest. There was a strong wind blowing off the lake, and it was actually freezing there by the water; there were a couple of campers who'd pitched tents nearby, and they were bundled up in winter coats. I don't blame them - I think it would be pretty uncomfortable to camp out there overnight. Plus, you know - BEARS.
On the way back, it started raining a little. Nothing real hard, just a passing light shower. I love the sound of the rain in the forest, the way each drop falls against the trees, pelting the canopy. I made it back to my car about 5:47, and by the time I reached Vancouver again it was late and I was in no mood to cook dinner, so I stopped at Panda Express and picked up some orange chicken, sweet and sour pork, and kung pao chicken. I'd worked up quite an appetite hiking, and the Chinese food hit the spot. Unfortunately, I was very sore after my long day in the wilderness, particularly my lower back, probably from all the bending and stooping involved in picking huckleberries. I had a miserable night with little sleep. I'm thankful that there's still one more day off to recuperate, because today I was busier than I'd hoped to be. Went yard saling, stopped at Best Buy and Target to pick up accessories for my GPS, went to Freddy's for a few groceries, and then made huckleberry jam when I got home. It's been years since I've canned, and I know why - boy, is that labor intensive! But I'm sure it will be worth it. I've got seven jars of huckleberry jam to last me the next year. And, I've still got huckleberries left over. I'll probably make pancakes tomorrow.
I made enchiladas for dinner, drank margaritas, got a little drunk, and watched Adventureland. Tonight? I just want to sleep!
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