I was very much looking forward to this next leg of my adventure. Never before had I done something quite like this. I was going to board a boat on Lake Chelan, take it for forty miles to the other end of the lake, and get dropped off in the isolated community of Stehekin on the fringe edges of North Cascades National Park in northern Washington. The plan was to camp there for two nights, explore the area, and enjoy the remoteness. Let’s go!

I woke up at the KOA campground in Winthrop, Washington and left by 6:30 am, giving myself plenty of time to drive an hour south to the town of Chelan to board the boat at 8 am. I drove through the arid grassy hills of the region speckled with pine trees. Passing through the outskirts of the town of Chelan, I reached the harbor. There sat the vessel, “The Lady Express” alongside a single small dock. She was a moderate vessel, with a holding capacity of one hundred people. The entrance to the dock was sandwiched between two small harbor buildings. Behind it sky-blue waters lay and great mountainous peaks stood in the distance. I rounded a bend to reach the fenced-in parking lot across the street from the boat dock. It was free to park but looked like, because of the fence and gate, that it was locked up at night. How should I take this? I thought. Does this mean it’s a safe area to leave my car, because it’ll be fenced up, or is this a crime-ridden area, because it has to be locked up at night? It just seemed like a small town to me, nothing that should rear much in crime, but having witnessed Seattle area a few days prior and being a rather skeptical and untrusting person to begin with, the thought of safety did cross my mind, but I concluded I liked the fact the car would be left fenced in. 

Now, it was time to pack! I had made a list of what to bring with the night prior, and I had begun packing but hadn’t quite put everything together. First I needed to get dressed for the day. I just rolled out of bed and left the campground. I figured I’d put myself together once I had the security of being where I knew I needed to be in time. After changing clothes in the car, I fetched my overnight backpack from the depths of the trunk and finished gearing up. I needed quite a bit, not only layers for the drastically changing temperatures of the mountainous far North but also all my camping gear for two nights. My final step was changing out from my flip-flips into my hiking boots. Putting on those boots and tying those laces really puts me in the spirit for adventure. I was ready!

I checked in at the little building beside the dock where they issued my boarding pass, and soon I was on the boat and on my way! The boat was very simple, nothing to write home about. It maybe was at only a fourth of its capacity. It wasn’t a big passenger hall. I sat toward the front end. Most of the passenger access was enclosed, but I opened the window I sat next to to look outside. I noticed the hills immediately surrounding the lake here by the town of Chelan were brown from dry grasses, and buildings congregated down at the water’s edge, but the further we floated from town and out in the lake, the less and less building there were, just a few lavish luxury homes every once in a while dotted the surrounding hills. Then the hills grew larger and greener, becoming increasingly mountainous. The boat rounded a few curves in the lake, and civilization was all left behind. Now on either side of the lake stood the mountains of the North Cascades with its craggy peaks and protrusions. With each passing minute, I realized we were becoming more and more remote, and curiosity grew of what this place, Stehekin, would actually be like. What sort of place can exist so far away from any other civilization? 

The boat ride in total was two and a half hours. I knew it was coming to an end when the lake narrowed and became darker as the sun was hidden behind the mountain peaks. Then the boat couldn’t go much further because up ahead was just a large mountain and the great wilderness. The boat pulled up to a dock. I spotted a few structures, including the prominent North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin, a modest timber constructed building laying beneath the trees. There were a few vehicles too, and I knew the vehicles were resident vehicles. They didn’t go elsewhere, because they couldn’t. Stehekin only has one road. It stretches for 13 miles but does not connect to any other road. It starts here by the lodge and ends at wilderness access. Just the sight of the lodge and the vehicles assured me that perhaps this was a bit more civilized than I had imagined. I won’t be roughing it by any challenging means. I see infrastructure, if primitive, and there will be running water since there’s a lodge.

Once I got off the boat I made a beeline for the National Park’s Golden West Visitor Center, to get a camping permit. I had no experience or insight to know if it would be hard to find an open campsite here. Would this be a popular place or is this off the beaten path? I would find it to be the latter. With ease I got a camping permit and was directed to the Lakeview campground, just steps away. It was a rather developed campground with picnic tables and fire rings of little sites nestled into the mountainside overlooking the lake through the pine trees.  It was not busy, just a few other tents were set up. I found a site that backed up to some trees climbing up the mountain. I pitched my tent and unpacked. I realized I could not lock anything up. I would have to be trusting. I did take my day pack with me and walked just steps away to “downtown” which consisted solely of the visitor center, lodge, post office, and bike rental shop. There I rented a bike for two days. With this I could see it all, and I wasted no time in beginning to do so. I was ready to bike the full expanse of the road and see all the things. I had received a map from the bike concessioners that had all the points of interest along the road, and so I took off.

How cool! Just the thought of being in this isolated community that connects to nowhere but tucked away in the North Cascades was so novel and exciting. I was also relieved everything worked out to be here. I made it! The place was quiet, serene, and beautiful. The freedom to explore on bike, propelled by my own effort, zooming through the pine filled mountain air, was invigorating. To my left was largely the mountainside and forest, to my right is where a few private cabins were dispersed alongside the lake. They were picturesque, small, simple, with immaculate little landscaped green grass yards decorated with flowers that backed right up to the lake with their little docks. The glassy reflective lake waters spread behind, and mountains stood beyond. A few were of a rustic pioneer cabin style  with their little stone chimney’s standing aside their wooden frames. One looked like a miniature Swiss chalet. 

Just about a mile from where I started my bike ride the lake comes to an end and is replaced by the Stehekin River. There at the convergence lies the river delta. The road curves just enough to position the traveler right at the head of the lake by the wispy marshy grasses of the deltalands. The view was gorgeous, looking out into the valley with layers of mountains spilling into the lake. I paused to take in the beauty and serenity. 

On the other side of the road was “The Garden.” It was on the map. I stopped to find the large garden surrounded by forest and in it rows and rows of produce and flowers precisely organized and sectioned. It was bountiful and flourishing. I wasn’t sure if I was welcome to explore the grounds or not. Anyhow, I’d be back later. There were other things to see. 

About a half-mile up the road was the Stehekin Pastry Co.. I knew nothing about this place. I hadn’t come across it in my research, or at least I hadn’t taken particular note of it. Its name was painted on a wood sine propped up against a stone fence, just behind that was a lush shady decorative garden. Most of the building, which looked like a home, was overshadowed by large trees with limbs sprawling above it. I walked the little path amidst the stone fence and garden into the most delightful bakery. Cinnamon rolls, pies, and cookies stood in the display case proudly. Behind the counter, visible to all patrons, was the kitchen. I saw enormous mounds of dough on the tables, and people crafting delicious things to eat. The customer side of the establishment was rather dim, but in a cozy cabin-like feel, with wooden walls and fixtures everywhere. The bakery’s kitchen was bright and sleek. I bought myself a nice big piece of peach pie and enjoyed it. As I was waiting to check out, I was observing the bakers busy at work. They seemed to really know what they were doing and enjoyed their work. How cool it would be to work and live in such a remote place and have the National Park and wilderness a stone’s throw away! I Imagined going to work in a bakery, making the dough for the pastries and for my pocket, and then leaving work to be immersed in the natural beauty of the wild. I was a bit envious. I wanted to be making pastries, sharpening a new skill and living within a community in the remote stretches of the wild. It seemed just fanciful, just a fun thought to entertain, trying to envision myself in such a setting. I had no idea that this moment, these thoughts, were all foreshadowing of what the future had in store for me. Something like this was not unreachable for me. 

I got back on my bike, and just about a mile up the road I stopped at the Stehekin School, a rustic, one-room log cabin schoolhouse in the National Register of Historic Places. Two wooden beams served as steps up to the front porch shaded with the long roof overhang. The door was open. I entered. Inside I saw an old chalkboard in the front and a little podium for the teacher. There were old fashioned wooden and steel student desks, where behind the seat of one was attached the desk of another. I saw the little wood burning stove, the oil lanterns, maps and faded student drawings hung up on the walls, and stacks of textbooks on a table against the window. At first I was confused. Is this still in operation? It sort of looks like it’s still lived in. Then I figured it was probably frozen in time as a historical site.

The map of the sites along the road also had descriptions of each. I learned that the school was built in 1921 and was used until 1988 when the new school was built. The population had outgrown their one-room schoolhouse and thus they built a new two-room schoolhouse. Just up the road I checked out the newer schoolt. It had a sign next to the road, and a mound of freshly chopped firewood. It looked like it had just been delivered. The new school was still a log structure but didn’t have the rustic look of the original. It looked more like a large hut in that it had a long drooping roof, but it was very nice-, aesthetically constructed, beautiful in its own 1980s design. Around it was a small school yard of well cut green grass, and beside it the woods of pine tanding pall.  In that moment my heart yearned to be able to be a teacher in such a place. I had been entertaining the thought of me being in a bakery in the wild, but I had no such experience in a bakery. However, the schoolhouse was just up my alley. I am a teacher. I wonder if they are hiring? I bet it’s hard to get a position in such a place. The reality also hit me that I’m a Spanish teacher, not certified as a general education teacher. The teacher here probably had to teach all subjects to all grades. I wouldn’t be cut out for it, but I longed to live in a place like Stehekin already. Even though I was still making acquaintance, it was all love at first sight. 

Next point of interest was Rainbow Falls. A short path off the road led to it. It was very impressive. Water dropped straight down in a picturesque 312 foot tall fall. I was surprised I hadn’t heard anything about this waterfall before. It was so beautiful, and definitely a site worth seeking out. It certainly wasn’t as tall as Yosemite Falls, but it dropped in the same horsetail elegance of those falls. It gave me major Sierra Nevada vibes. 

After the falls, the road eventually turned to complete gravel and stretched on for about five miles without any other point of interest, just forest, and dispersed cabins. Then I came to Stehekin Valley Ranch. I knew it was a ranch, but wasn’t sure what that meant in this context. There was one main structure, a few other outposts, a garden, and a field tucked between the forest. There were some horses grazing, including a large Clydesdale of which I snapped a photo. 

I was nearing the end of the road when I had completed eleven miles, but it didn’t seem so long. It was so enjoyable to stop and see all the things along the way. I liked how in Stehekin everything was on the same road. Everything was in a linear progression. It was so simple, so not overwhelming. Near the end of the road I crossed a short steel and wooden framed bridge over the river and came upon the trailhead for Agnes Gorge. I parked my bike, not worrying about it not being locked up and disappearing. I hadn’t seen anybody in forever. I so enjoyed the freedom of not having to worry about my things like I often have to in the more overdeveloped and sophisticated world. As I began the trail I saw a sign nailed to a tree. Along with the official emblem were the words “The Pacific Crest Trail.” I was surprised that the national trail came through this area. I ended up hiking five miles in the Agnes Gorge. The trail led through the forest to cliff edges up high looking down at the river gorge. The forest here was very lush with greenery of all kinds, and the forest floor was hidden by growth. 

At one point it did hit me that this was probably the most remote I had ever been, if not to include my adventures in the middle of Nevada. Not only was I in Stehekin and its own remoteness to begin with, but I was way down the road at the far end, removed from everyone, now out on a trail miles in. I also hadn’t seen anyone since maybe eight miles ago at the bakery. I actually reveled in the solitude. In the physical sense, there was me and the forest. That was it. This world was mine. For some this notion might bring about a bit of anxiety, but for me it brought incredible peace. I never feel completely alone or vulnerable, for I know I’m always in God’s presence even when no other human is present. I also am the type of person who can have fun in a group of people or amidst the crowds, but I so cherish, and value moreso, one-on-one time with a friend or individual. It gives me the ability to really get to know a person and connect on a deeper level, to know that person and to be known and heard by that person. So here at the end of the road, in the Agnes Gorge, removed from everyone else, it was one-on-one time with just me and God. That brought me incredible peace. Let me wander and saunter in that.

After I biked the eleven miles back to the other end of the road to my campsite, evening was setting in, and  I noticed I had a neighbor. I don’t recall how, but she struck up a conversation with me. Her name was Luna Lu. She was a young asian lady with bleached blonde hair. As we got to talking she explained how she was from Las Angeles and was a photographer. She invited me to come sit over at her picnic table. We talked about National Parks, Los Angeles, and my day’s journey through Stehekin. Of course as the conversation progressed I was trying to figure out just why she was taking interest in me. She explained how she loved traveling and taking photos of nature. She had just come from Yosemite and was going to be here for two days just like myself. She was hoping to capture some good night-sky photos, especially of the Milky Way tonight with virtually zero light pollution. She explained how she was going to go about walking at around midnight to see what kind of night sky views she could behold. She invited me to go explore with her at night. The thought did seem intriguing and she was proving herself to be good company, but clouds were rolling in and I knew I’d be asleep by then. I could always wake up. I wasn’t convinced it was a good idea. I bid her goodnight, crawled into my tent, and quickly drifted to sleep. What a good day. I loved this place and had a whole additional day in Stehekin to look forward to.

Back at my little cabin, at great peace for a quite a productive evening, and after having a day full of great vistas and travel, I slept soundly, anticipating the adventure that lay ahead: backpacking into Steheiken. 

If you enjoyed reading this, check out my book “Still, Calm, and Quiet“

Check out my previous entry here: “Traveling Across North Cascades National Park”

Visit www.joshhodge.com