Backpacking Fail #1: Barclay Lake

At the beginning of June, we decided to head up into the Skykomish ranger district and go backpacking! It  would be amazing! We got our food ready, packed everything up, and were ready for a good time in the mountains. Since it was my first time backpacking, we picked a short, level trail. It was about 2 miles in to the lake. And, to make things even better, it fell on free fishing day! Score!


The bridge on the way to Barclay Lake


Me on the bridge. I look so cool with my backpack on. Also, keep in mind how awesome and kick-butt I am! I'm like 19 weeks along on this trip.


A lovely stream


Me at the camp spot. Our tent is incredibly attractive, right? It fits two people who like to be cozy. Don't I look soggy? That's because it is June in Washington!


Barclay Lake--it was really quite beautiful.

By this point, we have successfully packed in to the lake. So far, so good. No backpacking fail yet!


Andrew pumping the water. He was SO excited to use his new pump.


"I'm pumping the water and it is raining! Yay!"


Andrew trying to light wet wood on fire. This was a backpacking fail. We never got it to light.


Andrew looking epic at Barclay Mountain.


Throwing our rope for the bear bag. I was terrified we would meet a bear. But at least the bag was far away from our camp, so if it came to eat our food, it shouldn't eat us, too.


Time for hot chocolate because we are freezing to death!


Fishing for free. Andrew is so happy to be fishing. Backpacking fail: neither of us caught a fish.


Me fishing, but mostly doing casting practice. Whenever I've caught a fish, it has been on accident.

We were wet and cold and had nothing to do after we fished. We brought cards but our tent was too small to sit up in, so no go on the playing together agenda. And so we went to bed.

I remember trying to stretch out my leg but feeling some cold at the bottom of my sleeping bag, so I curled up into a ball.

At about 2:00 a.m., Andrew sighed and said, "My feet are wet. Are yours?"

"A little," I say. "I really have to pee." I'm pregnant and myself. I pee twice every night.

"Me too." It must have been the hot chocolate. Andrew never pees in the night.

"I have to pee bad enough to face the wild animals, but if I go outside, all this water will fall on us," I said.

"Yeah," Andrew said. "And we would be soaked."

"And my hips hurt. I have tried to not move so I don't get wet." If you touched the side of the tent, you got wet.

"This isn't a very good tent," said Andrew.

And we just laid there in our sleeping bags for about an hour. Then we talked to each other for about an hour. We were both in pain from our bladders and my hips really really hurt. We were also both cold and very wet. Then we laid there for another hour.



Andrew being miserable in the morning.


Our wet, cold toes in our sleeping bags. Tent, you were somewhat useless. Can you see the water droplets on the inside of our tent!?!?

Finally, it was 5:00 a.m. Andrew said we could get up in 15 minutes. So we did. And I peed a great pee. Andrew peed a great pee. And my hips felt so much better.



We are tired! It is 5 a.m.! Do you like Andrew's hipster hair?


Best part of the morning: our bear bag survived. We have breakfast!


You suck. We are buying a new one.

And we ate food and packed up our soaking wet gear and were out of there by 7:30 and to our car by 8:30. And since we weren't thinking clearly and it was free fishing day, we drove to Fish Lake (like two hours away) but couldn't find a place to access the lake. So then we drove for another 45 minutes to Leavenworth and bought a pretzel and bienenstisch. And then we drove forever home. We were super tired. That night was officially the worst of my life.

I couldn't believe myself when I told Andrew that I was willing to go camping again--if we had a different tent.

Backpacking fail.