FROG - solo hike

A couple of weeks ago I (Brent) went on an overnight solo hike in the Lake Chelan area. It was an excellent experience and I look forward to doing more hiking in the future.

At 8am on Thursday, August 13th I boarded the Lady of the Lake II boat in the town of Chelan. It slowly made its trek up the 50-mile long lake. I got off at the Lucerne stop, just one stop below the small village of Steheiken (Steheiken is by far, the most popular of the ports along the way). We left about 50 people on the boat and about twenty people got off with me. They all loaded up on a school bus to go up a dirt road to a Lutheran camp, leaving me alone with my pack (which is what I wanted). I checked in with the local park ranger (there was a ranger station in Lucerne, which used to be housing for copper miners back in the day). I then started my 4 mile hike into Domke Lake.

There were some amazing views of Lake Chelan as I ascended a mountain. This was one place that I rested. The hike was a bit steep and never let up, but I made it just fine. I brought lots of fruits and veggies and a couple water bottles. I stopped at most viewpoints for a little snack.


I made it Domke Lake in good time. I left Lucerne around 12pm and got to Domke I think around 3pm. That included plenty of rests and a lunch break. I was pleased to see Domke fairly remote, beautiful and without people. I did talk to one guy that had been camping there for two weeks. He was a retired guy that first visited Domke in the 1940's and always wanted to go back. After chatting with him for a bit, I didn't see another human for quite a while.

Evidence of the 2007 fire were all around me. I did hear a couple of thunder claps echoing around the mountains, too. This was a little nerve-racking. It did rain a couple of times, but no lightening in my area.

I made camp and caught some trout. Dinner over an open fire consisted of baked potato, curried-trout (yes I brought curry powder with me), steamed veggies, and camp fire coffee. It was a great meal. Notice how small my tent looks. In an effort to save on weight and cash, I bought a $20 kid's tent. It worked fine as lone as I laid diagonal in it.

It rained over night, but the tent kept me dry. The morning was cold, but beautiful. My firewood stayed dry as well and I soon warmed up. I fished the lake some more and ate breakfast before heading out.

Just as I was about to hike out, I float plane landed and dropped off a couple of campers at a cabin on the other side of the lake. This reminded me of my SE Alaska lake experiences. There are no roads to Domke. Hiking or float planing are the only ways in.

Another view of Lake Chelan on my way down the mountain. By the way, it is easier hiking downhill than uphill. I made it to the Lucerne dock with about an hour to kill before the boat picked me up. I enjoyed a cigar (thanks Brendan for the "over-seas" gift) and read a book while I waited for the boat. The boat docked back in the town of Chelan around 6pm and my adventure was done.

I loved every minute of it. Thanks for reading... Brent

The End of the Line

A COLLAGE OF PICTURES (I tried to use pictures that you haven't seen yet)

We left Deer Lodge, Montana in the morning after only a handful of sleep hours and made it home around 4pm. It was VERY good to get home. Max the dog was hyper when we walked through the door and the kids chased around the kitten that had grown a little bit.

The C and the Cross that sit on Colville Mountain guarding the city.

While on the road heading home, I surveyed the family on what some of their favorite parts of the trip was. The question was, "What was your favorite part..."

1. ...while at Uncle Punk and Aunt Ag's house in Helena, Montana?

Ella - The chickens that laid eggs.

Sam - Fireworks

Marci - Watching my kids have fun like I used to at the farm.

Brent - Cooking in the kitchen with Aggie.

2. ...when we went to the Mt. Rushmore area?

Ella - Going down the waterslide.

Sam - Seeing the faces on the mountain.

Marci - The espresso stand we found that opened at 6am.

Brent - Acting like one of the kids (waterslide, etc...).

3. ...after Rushmore, we did a long day in the car to Minnesota. What was your favorite part about traveling in the car?
Ella and Marci - Getting closer to Illinois.

Sam - Playing my DS.

Brent - Being together alone as a family.

4. ...during the six days we spent in Illinois?

Ella - I liked having fun with Evan and Aunt Barb.

Sam - Playing baseball at the farm with dad.

Marci - Everything. There is no way I can narrow it down to one thing.
Brent - How Aunt Barb would make a pot of coffee for Marci (with flavoring) and a pot of black for me. We would wake up and she had them set out on the counter in urns, labeled and ready for us. You don't get that kind of service at the Purvis home.

5. ...at the Pawnee Lake Campground in Nebraska?

Ella - I liked that when Dad got up early and caught a bunch of fish.

Sam - I liked it when Dad was fighting that big bass.

Marci - Nothing, I was too sad about leaving Morrison.

Brent - The leech story. Sam was wading in the water and told me that he saw a leech swim by. I said, "No way. There are no leeches in this lake. Don't worry about it." Sure enough, when he got out of the water, we had a leech attached to his leg sucking away.

6. ...at Torrington, Wyoming with Aunt Alice and Uncle Kent?

Ella - Playing tag with the neighbor kids.

Sam - Pulling the settler cart at Fort Laramie, just like the old days.

Marci - Hearing stories of Brent's parents when they were young and seeing pictures of them.

Brent - Hearing Uncle Kent's stories.

7. ...while at Yellowstone National Park?

Ella - Putting sand on the lake that was on the edge of our campground.

Sam - Setting up the fire.

Marci - The mudpots and geysers.

Brent - Fishing in the Yellowstone River.

8. What was your favorite part of the whole trip?

Ella - Going down the waterslide and splashing down into the water, and seeing the baby horse that had a broken leg when we went out to Uncle Kent's ranch.

Sam - That is a hard one, we have done lots of fun stuff. I can't think of it. Riding on the freeway...no, no...watching the cows and horses pass the gravel road on the way back from the ranch in Wyoming.

Marci - Going on a roadtrip with my family like I used to do when I was young!

Brent - The feeling of success. We pulled it off. No major car breakdowns, no major family breakdowns, the itinerary was solid, we stayed within our budget, the kids will have some good memories, and we made it home! I might actually try something like that again sometime.

9. What is your favorite part of getting home?

Ella - Seeing Gizmo and watching Max run all over the place.

Sam - Watching Max make a hole through the screen door.

Marci - To be stationary for a while, not moving around, being at home.

Brent - Never having to deal with that *&%$^# Big Mac Car Top carrier again!

I can't help but think that we have a beautiful country. Some thoughts after driving through nine states:

- There is so much to see in our country, let alone the world. We just stopped at the touristy spots, too. I am tired of tourists.

- Washington State is one of the most beautiful states that I have ever been to. It has every type of terrain that we saw on our trip.

- Colville, Wa has the highest gas prices out of anywhere that we explored. Lucky us.

- I like Colville's grocery stores (price and quality) better than anywhere we went. Lucky us for real.

- Driving is way better than flying. You get to really see the country and get a feel for life and culture. I only was given the bird once, too.

This was a good trip for our family. Thanks for following along. I appreciate the requests for the FROG to continue. We'll have to see about that. Maybe once or twice a month we can get something up there. Brent

PS - (I have to have a PS, don't I?) We had so much fun, we are already considering a trip next year. We would like to see Mom and Dad in Ketchikan, so maybe a roadtrip through BC? We'll get back to you on that one.

PSS - (Is it PPS pr PSS?) In our stack of mail upon returning home, Alaska Airlines sent Ella an offer for a credit card. THAT is NOT what we need!

Quarters and High-90

That is an Elk, not a moose. I am learning the difference. Antlers help.

This scared Marci.

Sammy fishing.

Oh give me a home, where the buffalo....sleep.

The fishing master at work.

This guy was swimming right for us, and he can swim fast.

My girl loves to fish.

The fam at the falls.

Geyser seeing.

Old Faithful! We sat around for about a half hour and then it launched. Kent and Alice and Grandma Beth both watched us on the Old Faithful cam online.

We spent the day exploring the massive Yellowstone National Park. You could spend a lot more time seeing the sights, but we did a pretty darn good job cramming the sightseeing into one day. Old Faithful was faithful and went off, although some of the other geysers were more impressive. We never did see a bear, but a lot of other animals. We spent some time fishing and almost had a monster of the deep. All in all, it was a fun day, but I got tired of tourists really quick. I guess growing up in a tourist town may have given me my fill.

We got everyone fed, showered, teeth brushed and pajama'd and were just about to put everyone down for the night. It was dark out and all we had left to do was sleep, wake up, break camp and hit the road. I happened to mention that I wasn't tired and maybe we should try to take a few miles off the trip tonight. Marci and the kids cheered. I think we are all ready to be home. The kids both went to the bottom of their sleeping bags and prayed so that we could leave tonight. Sooooooo....we packed up camp and headed out. We told Ella that we would drive until I got tired which would probably be around the time we get to I-90. She said over and over that she wanted us to leave so we could get to "High-Ninety".

I drove until I felt the effects of no sleep and we rented a room in Deer Lodge, Montana. Now, refreshed and with only about 300 miles left to home, we are ready to hit the road. Jody, I would guess that we will be home around 4pm. Tell the pets. Brent

PS -I told the kids that I would pay them a quarter for each wild animal (not counting birds and squirrels). I owe them some quarters after that herd of buffalo.

PSS - You are probably glad to stop getting these emails, but I will send one more when we get home to close it out!

Into Thin Air

We are all exhausted today, so my commentary will be brief. It turned out to be a good decision to get to Casper last night as the trip into Yellowstone was slow. There was a lot of road construction and mountainous driving. It was really stunning, too. Marci thought the Tetons were the most beautiful thing she has ever seen (next to me, of course).

Flat to start the day.
We finally see mountains.

Starting to gain altitude.

The pictures really don't do these beauties justice.

We have arrived.

The shores of Yellowstone Lake (where our campground is) reminded us of the Puget Sound shoreline a little bit.

There is hot water coming out of that cone.

The bubbles coming out of the ground around West Thumb.
Lots of moose.

Gaggles of them. It was a fun thing to see to end the day. I'm going to bed. Brent