“I don’t wanna hike. I’m too tired!” Talia, my youngest, says as she lays down in the trail on the way up Beaver Hill. She’s rebelling, fussing, and laughing all at the same time. And she’s game! Tater Tot does make it to the tippity top. Her mom, Kristina, watches patiently before gently nudging her to stand back up. “C’mon, Bug, let’s go!” Kris finally says. Foto by William Bass.

Stormy skies thunder into the Glacier Peak Wilderness here at the Phelps Creek TH where the hike up to Spider Meadows begins.

Raindrops began to splatter in the dusty parking lot and atop our minivan.

Little rain falls, however, and the drought continues. The Northwest was in a prolonged tho intermittent drought.

We passed by shrunken waterfalls on our way back home to the River House. We’ll do a day hike up Beaver Hill later today and return to the Glacier Peak Wilderness tomorrow morning…WITH our packs, LOL!

Talia out in the backyard at the River House with the Wenatchee flowing behind her. She’s cradling owie fingers and owie hands. Tater Tot has been scratching her itchy twitchy mosquito bites.

It’s just us three. Her sisters Morgan & Kate are with their Mama Gwen elsewhere. 25 July 2009.

Talia seems upset. Peevish, even. Harumpt! “It’s not just mosquitos, Dad!” She tries to appear petulant.

But I suspect she’s secretly pleased. We’re all a little grumpy after getting all the way up there to the trailhead after many slow miles of torturous, rutted, and dusty roads only to discover we left our backpacks behind. How in the world did we do that? At least we didn’t leave them behind in Seattle! So we’re gonna do a little dayhike later today and go again tomorrow, yay!

“Oh, I doan wanna,” groans my daughter taking on her movie star I-don’t-wanna-iguana look. We decide to keep our packs in the house and cruise on over to the other side of the Village of Plain to grunt up Beaver Hill.

Kristina and Talia on the trail roughly halfway up Beaver Hill.

After moving on up the trail, I look back and see they’ve worked it out. Sort of, LOL

Now they’re getting along just fine. Mama Kristina just called Talia, “Bug.” Such a term of endearment amuses our Big Little Bug. Usually those two get along fine most of the time anyway. Onward, ho! A little outdoorsy workout before the big backpacking trip!

Kristina and Talia atop Beaver Hill behind the giant cairn. The true summit’s along the wooded ridgecrest behind them. Beaver Hill stands at 2870 feet or 872 meters in elevation. Was a wonderful end to a strange day, this Saturday the 25th of July 2009.

Kristina points out landmarks such as Natapoc Mountain, the Wenatchee River, and the village of Plain below.

Below flows the Wenatchee River with significant landslide & avalanche scars. One such landslide looms alongside and over River Road like a sandy gargoyle guarding the area our River House abides. Glimpses of Ponderosa and Mule Tail Flats, extensions of the Beaver Valley villages, peek at us from near those scars. In the far distance Big Jim Mountain hunkers down along the horizon like a tired, old lion. Named after Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mt. Everest, Big Jim stands at 7,763 ft or 2,366 m over there in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. 

Village of Plain, Washington, nests long the Wenatchee River below the ridges of Napotec Mountain. Napotec itself rumbles above Plain to a height of 4,204 feet or 1,281 meters. With peak prominence defined as at least 2,ooo’ between peaks, Napotec is to the surprise of many the 120th most prominent peak in Washington. Cougars, bears, & elk run wild over there. Heck, maybe even some Sasquatch folks dance with Big Feet!

Quite fond of this place. Sure love hanging out in the hardware store down there and having a coffee as I listen to the locals and the tourists talk and tell stories. Love hearing stories, I do. Foto taken on Saturday 25 July 2009.

Growling at the camera and more up on the top of Beaver Hill! Behind her sprout clusters of dried wildflowers, the arrowleaf balsamroot, or Balsamorhiza sagittata. Native to arid, semi-desert areas of Western North America, this short, tough member of the sunflower family is entirely edible and has medicinal properties. Its bright yellow flowers bloom in late spring. 

Posing for Kristina.

Stepfather & Stepdaughter. I helped deliver this amazing little girl. On the floor! With about 30 other people in or near the room! So proud of her!

On top of the world! And proud of herself, too.

Last licks.