Diablo/Ross Lake Canoe trip. July2010 Part 6

The girls got tired of waiting around on photos and cruised on ahead



The sweet sweet wife was stuck with me though. You marry a photographer and you just gotta put up with it





She does have her limits, this is her secret code that it's time to move on.




Moving on



The ladies headed for land to the sounds of rushing water. Pulled into a cove and hiked a bit



This was the only time we ran into mosquitos the entire trip and they weren't bad but we didn't want to have to spray on deet or cover up, so I took a couple pics and we headed back to the water




Ominous looking clouds started rolling in so we booked it back to the camp, packed up gear and headed for our second nights stop- Cougar Island.

This was previously my favorite spot to camp as it is a small sland(about 200 yards long 100 yards wide?) There are only 2 sites on the island but we always get it to ourselves.. The south side gets the weather, the north side has a nice calm little pool even when the weather gets crazy. It also has a little sister island to the east that it's fun to swim or boat to.

Arrival at Cougar Island. If you look closely you can see a flock of birds hanging out on the sister island.

Diablo/Ross Lake Canoe trip. July2010 Part 5

I'm a big fan of glassy water in the morning(or anytime really) At the risk of sounding fruity, there's something almost magical about gliding through flatwater in the wilderness, taking in the sounds of silence and sharing those moments with friends. Even better when the water is so clear you can see to the bottom as you move over the water. I had all the glass I could want the next morning and I rousted people out for an early morning glide.

The campsite is just behind the girls and canoes. I'm out on the tip of Roland Point here.



Turned around and looking South here. When it gets windy, it blows all the driftwood/water debris to this side of the island.



Then we were off






For some reason the hill in the center strikes my sweet sweet wife as funny, she still giggles every time she sees it.



One thing I can watch for hours is the "paddle art" on smooth water.

Drips



Whirlpools

Diablo/Ross Lake Canoe trip. July2010 Part 4

Off the shuttle truck and back on the water, crossed Ross Lake for lunch at Ross Lake Resort.

Parked



As you can see in the above photo, the wind did pick up a little here. Not enough to make things unpleasant, but enough that the camera got put away until we reached our first campsite.

Before this trip, my favorite spot on the river to camp has been Cougar Island. Admittedly, we've only stayed at 5 of the 25 or so sites, but it had everything going for it. It was booked our first night, and the rangers recommended Roland Point. They even went so far as to say it was better.

We arrived and agreed. You are surrounded on 3 sides by water, with one of the sides in a protected lagoon that stays calm even when the wind whips up the opposite shore. It has a giant bear bin that you can store all your gear in, instead of having to hang it from trees, a nice fire pit, toilet and great campfire seating. It has an open point for sunbathing(which the ladies partook of) and a calm pool for swimming(which my sweet sweet wife and I took advantage of) It has flat ground for the tents and no neighbors(1 party but 3 tent site) There is also a nice little hike up a stream that feeds into it that features some waterfalls.

Enough talking - here's the proof.

Arrival at Roland Point. Pulling into the protected side.



A couple shots of the scene, then I gave the camera a break for the rest of the day. Events not recorded included swimming, lying in the sun,eating massive amounts of great food prepared by my sweet sweet wife, reading books, chatting, being woken up from a nice nap by 3 screaming ladies about a camp stove that somehow got out of control and almost grenaded the entire campsite, and other general camp-type fun

Diablo/Ross Lake Canoe trip. July2010 Part 3

Motoring on







Diablo Lake is about a 4 mile paddle trip to the dam, the first 2 of them being in "open" water and the last 2 going up a steep walled canyon. If you are interested in doing this trip, you want to get up this canyon before 10 if possible, most definitely before noon. It is normally calm in the mornings, but afternoons winds have a tendency to pick up and a relaxing trip up the canyon can become quite a battle.



All kinds of interesting nooks and crannies on this leg of the journey.



Good times



I build up the canoe a bit in the middle, so that my sweet sweet wife can kick back when she wants to. This is only allowed when flatwater conditions exist, which was almost this entire trip.




As you get closer to Ross Dam, the water coloring starts to change a little bit.



The end of Diablo. There is a phone on the second dock so you can call the shuttle truck to get you. It used to come right down to the water, but there was a landslide this past winter that wiped out the old spot. Now you have to cart your canoe and gear up a steep hill for about 100 yards. You do get a little exercise here.



Coming in for landing



Loaded up for the mile or so ride up to Ross Lake

Diablo/Ross Lake Canoe trip. July2010 Part 2

The Diablo/Ross lake waterway is a favorite of ours and we try to go camping up there at least once a year, sometimes more. As you will see, it's beauty is beyond compare and big bonus, it's free! There are about 25 campsites along the lakes, but they are all fairly small units(sometimes just one campsite at a spot) so you have a good chance of not having to camp around anyone else. You do have to get a backcountry permit for all sites, but these are issued at no cost. The only fee on the lake is if you wish to have a truck come down from the Dam that seperates Ross and Diablo, pick up your gear and canoe and haul it to the upper lake.(this service is definitely worth paying for- $25 one way for single canoes, $15 each way if you have more than one canoe in your group)

Joining us for this trip are Jenny and Jennifer. My sweet sweet wife met them at the gym a year ago and have become good friends. Jennifer is quite a marathon runner and has just turned her considerable endurance talents to triathalons. Jenny is a high jumper training hard and you can look for her at the next summer Olympics!

Permits are first come, first serve and when I called the Ranger station on Thursday afternoon, they recommended showing up at the crack of dawn because a horde of Boy Scouts were supposed to descend on the lake and would probably snake a good many, if not all, of the campsites.

I informed the ladies that we would be departing promptly at 3 am Friday morning, to be at the Marblemount Ranger Station at 6:30 - 1/2 hour before it opens. This was met with some resistance, but I'm a smooth talker when I need to be and it was agreed on.

The ride up was uneventful and once we got off I5 headed for Darrington, the drive was stunning, with low lying fog rolling through the fields and valleys and quick glimpses of the North Cascades with the pink of early morning. We couldn't stop for photos however, knowing that we were in a heated race with those resourceful Boy Scouts for campsites.

We were victorious, snagged a couple great spots, and could fully enjoy the rest of the trip.

Neither Jennifer or Jenny have cars with racks or canoes, so we pulled both Pearson vehicles into action. I got to drive our favorite car(in front - if you'd like to know more about this fine vehicle of ours, read on here), my sweet sweet wife got the cushy Subaru with the ladies.

Stopped to stretch, Diablo WA - my sweet sweet wife, Jenny, Jennifer




I might have said this before, but the really nice thing about canoe camping up here, is you get back in the wilderness, but don't have to worry about shaving weight off your backpacks. You can pack the kitchen sink if you want to, and we pretty much did. Canoe camping is all about comfort, people.

Last bit of the canoe packing



Done!




It was dead calm and the last bit of fog burned off as we were packing so we got to introduce the ladies to Diablo Lake in it's full glory

Onward.









Jennifer taking it all in

Diablo/Ross Lake Canoe trip. July2010 Part 1

We've been convincing friends to join us on wilderness excursions lately and we snared Jenny and Jennifer for this latest one.

It's hard to believe from looking at this photo of the first moments of our Diablo/Ross Lake canoe camping excursion that what followed was the most brutal test of our strength and stamina we've ever been put through. The conditions that came down on us tested every last measure of human determination and resolve we had and I think that it may have changed the very fabric of my soul.



Naw, just kidding. I don't think I've ever been on a canoe camping trip that had better conditions. Pics and report to follow