Mt. Adams Institute Mt. Adams Institute
  • About Us
    • Programs
      • Overview
      • VetsWork Environment
      • VetsWork GreenCorps
      • Education Programs
      • Public Lands Stewards
    • About
      • Our Mission
      • Our Impact
      • Our Staff
      • The Board
      • DEI Commitment
      • Lodging
      • Program Partners
    • Our Interns
      • VetsWork Environment Interns
      • VetsWork GreenCorps Interns
      • Public Lands Stewards Interns
    • Contact Us
      • Reach HQ
      • Live & Social
      • Staff Employment
  • Internships
    • VetsWork Environment
    • VetsWork Greencorps
    • Public Lands Stewards
  • Summer Camps
  • Sense of Place
    • Lecture Series
    • Hear in the Gorge
    • Community Workshops
  • Blog
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Gift A Scholarship
    • Sense of Place Lecture Series Sponsorship
    • Capital Campaign
    • Volunteer
Close
  • About Us
    • Programs
      • Overview
      • VetsWork Environment
      • VetsWork GreenCorps
      • Education Programs
      • Public Lands Stewards
    • About
      • Our Mission
      • Our Impact
      • Our Staff
      • The Board
      • DEI Commitment
      • Lodging
      • Program Partners
    • Our Interns
      • VetsWork Environment Interns
      • VetsWork GreenCorps Interns
      • Public Lands Stewards Interns
    • Contact Us
      • Reach HQ
      • Live & Social
      • Staff Employment
  • Internships
    • VetsWork Environment
    • VetsWork Greencorps
    • Public Lands Stewards
  • Summer Camps
  • Sense of Place
    • Lecture Series
    • Hear in the Gorge
    • Community Workshops
  • Blog
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Gift A Scholarship
    • Sense of Place Lecture Series Sponsorship
    • Capital Campaign
    • Volunteer

Forrest Patton

[frame src=”Picture 1” width=”IMAGE_WIDTH” height=”IMAGE_HEIGHT” lightbox=”on” title=”” align=”center” ]

Click image to enlarge.

Every trip into the backcountry begins the same. The day leading up to a hitch is filled with last minute preparations for the trip; trips to The Grocery Outlet to buy bagels, tortillas, cheese, summer sausage, Pumpkin Pie Clif Bars, and all the other necessary provisions, a stop at the ranger station to pick up the radio battery that has been charging since our last hitch, and of course the meticulous packing of my backpack.  At this point in the season I have dialed the packing process down to a science. Each item has its preassigned location within my pack and I can now complete the process within a matter of minutes.

Picture 2

Sawtooth Backcountry from Sunrise Lake

The following morning we (my rangering partner Mike and I) report to the Entiat Ranger Station where we are given maps, advice on campsites and trails, and instructions on what to tell the visitors of our appointed backcountry for the coming week. From here we drive. Sometimes it is north to the Sawtooth Backcountry, out of our home ranger district and into the area bordering the Chelan and Methow Valley Ranger Districts. Sometimes it is up the Entiat River Road to do patrols in the Upper Mad River area or along the North Fork of the Entiat. But it always means driving for a while through beautiful Washington country before we hit a Forest Service gravel road, switch the rig into four-wheel drive and find the trailhead.

Picture 3

View from Campsite near Klone Meadows

Every trip may begin the same, but it is the ever differing conditions of weather, trail, and country that make each trip interesting in its own right. At the trailhead we make the final adjustments; we put on our hiking boots, tighten the straps on our packs and lock the rig to leave the world of easy transportation behind. Once we hit the trail it is a life of slow, hard-earned progress. We decide on a campsite for the night, radio our position into the dispatch center in Wenatchee and hit the trail. Some days are easy cruising through flattish country and clean trail, where we can cover a great distance in a relatively short time. Some days are marred by dozens of trees covering the trail and massive elevation gains over a short length of trail, only to be relieved by postcard worthy panorama shots of the forest I call home for five days at a time. Sometimes the trail has been obliterated by the fires that have plagued the Entiat Ranger District in recent years and we must resort to compass and topo map to keep us headed in the right direction. But regardless of the day, by the time we get to camp I am happy to be spending my time in God’s country, living by my own proficiencies. When you’re living in the woods the days roll together and before I know it, it is time for Mike and I to return to our truck on the fifth day.

Picture 4

View from Saska Pass

After spending the last five days propelling myself forward with determination and the endurance developed from months’ worth of hard hiking, nothing is quite like the ease of cruising down scenic, mountain roads with the windows down in the expectation of a hot shower. After each trip Mike and I return to the ranger station to report on our trip and charge our radio batteries for the next hitch. We’ll be hitting the trail again in a couple days.

Partner-Logo-Banner(PLS)

 

Share

FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest

Leave a Reply / Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Join Our Mailing List

Be sure to add your name to the roster, so we can send you latest news, jobs, events and resources.

Make a Donation

Make a Donation

Recent Posts

  • 2022 VetsWork Environment: Taylor Payton
  • 2022 VetsWork Environment: Samuel Kauffman
  • 2022 VetsWork Environment: Robert Alwood
  • 2022 VetsWork Environment: Lupe Zavala
  • 2022 VetsWork Environment: Donald Hollingsworth

Categories

  • Bulletin
  • Cascade Mountain School
  • Fun & Miscellaneous
  • Mountain Talk
  • Public Lands Stewards
  • VetsWork Environment
  • VetsWork Greencorps

Check Out Instagram

View

Aug 9

Open
We visited many places in the trout lake valley area to gather fresh ingredients for our outdoor cooking, here the Mt. Chef campers picked fresh vegetables and seasonings for our dumplings! 
#outdoored #outdoorcooking #cooking #troutlakeabbey #fresh #picking #cascademountainschool #mtadamsinstitute
18 0

View

Jul 23

Open
Mask making with Primitive Skills Camp!  #primitiveskills #cascademountainschool #summer #mtadamsinstitute
21 2

View

Jul 22

Open
Our Secret Life of Water camp had a great first day exploring BZ falls, they all had a chance to test the water quality using equipment that scientists use! 
#cascademountainschool #outdoored #hike #pnw #bzfalls #water #quality #summercamp #mtadamsinstitute
26 4

View

Jun 1

Open
#throwbackthursday to Cascade Mountain School's 2016 Nature Art Camp! This year, CMS is offering a similar camp called Recycled Art where students will work with recycled and repurposed material to make beautiful works of art! This camp will inspire artistic spirit while gaining an appreciation for the things we throw away. Students will get the opportunity to feel like real artists in a local Trout Lake art studio as they create their magical masterpieces. Registration is open at cascademountainschool.org! #mtadamsinstitute #cascademountainschool #recycledart #summercamp #registernow #tbt
29 2

View

Mar 29

Open
#tbt to the Community Contra Dance we hosted earlier this month in support of our Cascade Mountain School program! #mtadamsinstitute #cascademountainschool #contradance #community
26 0
Load More
  • Back to Blog
  • Prev
  • Next



© Copyright 2021 Mt. Adams Institute. All rights reserved.
Mt. Adams Institute is an equal opportunity employer.
contact us | partnership inquiries | site by Greta Rose Agency