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