Vacation

NorthCascades

I see a lot of threads about this, finally get to post one! 🙂 🌲

I'm going to a resort in the national park, I get a floating (on the lake) cabin for 5 days. It's off the grid, there's no phone reception, no internet, no TV, the rooms don't have screens. All there is to do for entertainment is talk to people. 🙂 When they gets old, there's hiking, climbing, swimming, trail running, kayaking, and canoeing. I'll have a working kitchen and indoor plumbing though.

"Problem" is there's no store or restaurant. It's a 3.5 mile hike to the cabin, I have to carry everything I want for the week with me. Food, clothes, 10 pounds of camera. That's a powerful incentive to not bring much food.

I'm trying to decide whether I'd regret not taking a hard shell, and if I'll need a stove to melt snow into driving water for a night on a summit. Can't think of anything appealing in terms of food. I'm going to bring stuff that will work and keep me in slow carbs and protein, but...

Ok thanks for letting me hands my turn to rant. 🙂

AnnPT77

Used to backwoods canoe camp, maybe 10 days away from car, stores, restaurants. Needed to bring Ev.Ery.Thing. (Except water: We treated the water.) I built a packing database, fine tuned it every year with the "wish I had", "didn't really need" items. Usually, we double portaged, because I don't enjoy being tooooo short of goodies - most portages short, some multi-mile. I think you may be stronger, needs-wise, probably. 😉

Have a wonderful time - I know you will. Sounds idyllic!

L1zardQueen

Which NP?

NorthCascades

North Cascades National Park. 🙂

SuzySunshine99

Ohhh...I think I know where you are staying. I looked at that resort when I was researching a trip to the North Cascades a few years ago. It looked amazing, but I chickened out because of some of the logistical challenges you mention.

I think I'd bring at lot of pasta and rice dishes...easy to carry in and nice and carb-y for your activities. Dried soups are good. Maybe look into a plastic egg-carrier if you don't have one. Definitely a jar of peanut butter, some salami.

It's hard because I'm trying to think of things that are light since you have to hike it in, but keeping in mind that once you get there, you have electricity and a full kitchen. Fresh foods are so heavy!

Careful planning is going to be key, I think. Map out each day, every meal, to make sure you bring enough, but not too much. It would suck to have to hike out to your car for a grocery run.

L1zardQueen

Haven’t been to that park yet, soon though. We’ve been to Glacier and we just got back from Pinnacle and Kings canyon. We are going to Great Basin next month during a new moon to do some star gazing.

Back to your food question. Can you store food in a bear safe locker near where you park? 3.5 miles to gather some food from your locker maybe easier than trying to lug in enough food for one week. Maybe bring a bike to make this round trip easier.

Your vacation sounds like a whole bunch of fun.

NorthCascades

Well I'm heading out.

Drop a line before any trip to the North Cascs, I'll be happy to recommend things to see and places to stay.

In a normal year they have a day service and you can take mucho more stuff more easily. I've never taken it, I enjoy feeling like the difficulty getting there means I'm at the ends of the earth, but I've heard it's gorgeous. My understanding is it's closed this year for covid to avoid crowding guests together.

NorthCascades

Here are a few pics from previous years. 🙂

https://www.flickr.com/photos/152370980@N03/albums/72157683459739290

penguinmama87

NorthCascades wrote: »

I see a lot of threads about this, finally get to post one! 🙂 🌲

I'm going to a resort in the national park, I get a floating (on the lake) cabin for 5 days. It's off the grid, there's no phone reception, no internet, no TV, the rooms don't have screens. All there is to do for entertainment is talk to people. 🙂 When they gets old, there's hiking, climbing, swimming, trail running, kayaking, and canoeing. I'll have a working kitchen and indoor plumbing though.

This sounds like the most perfect vacation! I hope you have an amazing time! (Or had, by the time you read this!)

NorthCascades

Overhead: they're up to 18,000 names on the waiting list. 🤯

We had a brutal heat wave and I was on a lake, so much swimming was done. I wasn't able to make it to the summit for night photos, I literally couldn't carry enough water. Trail is bone dry. It was a full moon and I'm still a bit disappointed, but had a great time and feel rejuvenated. 🙂

My laptop won't power up so I won't be able to share many photos for a bit. Here's one of the lake and the cabins though.
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SuzySunshine99

Beautiful! Sorry it was so hot and dry, though.

How did you do with the food situation? Did you bring enough?

NorthCascades

SuzySunshine99 wrote: »

Beautiful! Sorry it was so hot and dry, though.

How did you do with the food situation? Did you bring enough?

I wound up giving a lot of food to the staff to get out of carrying it back up the trail, so I guess I brought too much. But it was really too hot to eat and everything I brought was cooked and best hot, I really didn't want to eat it, and mostly didn't. I traded mashed potatoes for a PB&J, it was all I could get down one day. Barely ate every day and I'm sure that's why it was so difficult trying to carry all that water and camera gear up that steep trail in the 90 degree shade. I pulled over when I got near home, ordered Indian, and enjoyed it with my fur babies.