Indian Henry's Patrol Cabin

A bear grass blossom in the beginning stages of blooming

A success! Now I am three for three, having gone camping for the last three weekends out of the last three weekends. So far this is turning out to be a good summer (based on the fact that im taking less showers and eating more beef jerky and my sleeping bag just stays packed for the next adventure).

The fog rolls in 

Indian Henry's Hunting Grounds is a beautiful part of the park, when the snow melts wildflowers carpet the meadows and outline alpine creeks and ponds. The cabin at the T where Kuatz Creek Trail junctions with the Wonderland is the first established patrol cabin in the park. The quintessential, back country, log cabin, it  supports back country and wilderness rangers on patrol as well as employees spending off time in the park.

Always looking for an adventure, Kim and I planned this one way in advanced, as in drove up to Longmire with our packs and then decided where to go. All very well planned out. Kim's friend and roommate from Seattle, Maureen, also joined us, excited to stay in a patrol cabin.

A cozy kitchen

As it turns out Kautz Creek Trail is one of the more steep trails I can recall, going up and coming down we all had aches and moans. Stops for "water breaks" (rest breaks in disguise) heading up and stretch breaks to try and salvage our knees from what felt like mutilation on the way down were frequent. A beautiful hike though, the first mile is flat along Kautz Creek, and then the next four miles is pretty dense and steep. The payoff is worth it though as you enter the sub-alpine and alpine zone and open up into meadows. Going up to the cabin, we got more and more socked in as fog rolled in for the night.

When we started getting worried about being turned around and decided to get the map out, only to find that the cabin was about 100 yards away from where we though we were lost. The fog was dense. The quaint cabin welcomed us in. Someone had left two airplane sized bottles of wine outside the cabin accentuated the old solid wood and iron door, reminding us that civility is in fact possible in the backcountry.

A gift, presumably left by ranger admirers

Obsession much? ;)

After paying our dues in the fog, the morning brought clear skies and the enormous mountain. It back-dropped the cabin perfectly; a reminder that we were in paradise. Marmots had the right idea, basking in the sun along the rocks on the way down.

Look at those fantastic pancakes

Hard to beat, in or out of the backcountry

After going to sleep socked in, we woke up to a blue bird day