The Wilderness is Calling

It was time to get back to the woods.  We enjoyed our time in Seattle, Friday Harbor, and Vancouver…but the wilderness was calling.  We headed for the border and toward North Cascades National Park.  It took a bit longer than anticipated to get out of Vancouver because we didn’t research the route ahead of time and we ended up going in circles for a bit, but our new communication techniques and a little laughter got us through and back into the U.S.

After another brief re-supply stop in Bellingham, we made a beeline for the respite of the National Park System.  As we drove East on Highway 20 and we began to see the first mountains ahead of us, Matt said, “As the mountains increase ahead, I can feel my blood pressure decreasing…”  It is a statement I can very much relate to.  The sanctuary of the woods and the surrounding mountains offer a soothing balm for my soul.  Connecting with, understanding, and preserving the areas of wilderness we encounter helps me to understand and worship God more fully in the world He created.  I was looking forward to our next encounter.

Pulling into our campsite in the NPS campground at Newhalem Creek, a sense of peace rushed over me.  There are very few people camped here, and we have room to spread out and relax.  Within half an hour, we had things set up and were relaxing in our chairs.  The kids even had their hammocks up and were swinging away in the breeze.  But we still needed to pick up information at the park visitor’s center nearby – so we managed to tear ourselves away.

The Ranger gave us information galore on possible hikes to check out and areas to explore – including several that we could walk to from our campsite and even a waterfall that was lit up with colored lights at night down by the hydroelectric station nearby.  Back to the campsite we went to head out on our first adventure – to Rock Shelter – a site with overhanging, cave-like rocks where they have found evidence of human existence up to 9,000 years ago.  Wow.

After dinner, we decided to check out the waterfall that would be lit up with colored lights at night – Ladder Creek Falls.  Although a bit unique for a national park, the falls were pretty amazing.  Seattle City Light now runs the hydroelectric project creating power by harnessing the Skagit River through the Gorge Powerhouse to power the city of Seattle.  At its inception, owner and developer J.D. Ross installed the lighting to showcase the project and illustrate the potential of hydroelectric power.  We walked up and down the area by the falls, mesmerized by the changing colored lights before heading back to the campground for the night to a camper that was finally cooled off by the falling temperatures of the night air.