Leslie has gone on her summer vacation so it's just Shane and I for a few weekends. We decided last weekend to do an overnight at Swaggin since we were able to pre-scope out a spot hiking. The spot was well established, with rocks for sitting and a fire pit. It was set up high overlooking the river and had lots of fresh blueberries around.
We stopped along the way to check out a waterfall. There was a couple attempting to swim at the base of it. It wasn't hard because of the terrain or water, rather the temperature. It really wasn't super warm out so the water was cold. We took a few pictures and then carried on to our actual trail.
This is Shane's first "backcountry" although it's really more slackpacking. The hike to the camping spot is only about 30 mins and we didn't need to bring much for the night. We wanted to do another another trail in the morning but planned on returning to the car first to swap bags. This let us travel even lighter, it was enjoyable to have a light pack and for such a short time.
Thor and I even got to make a new friend at the campsite.
After we hiked out and swapped our bags we headed off on the other trail, it shared a parking lot and was just the opposite direction on the river. It wasn't as scenic though and didn't follow the river the same way the other trail did. We powered through it pretty fast since there wasn't anything to distract us into stopping.
We did stop for lunch at the refuge though and I'd love to rent it out in the fall/early winter. It was only about a 7km hike to get to it and would be super cozy in the colder seasons. There's no electricity, but it had a big wood stove and lots of firewood. There's four bunk beds with mattresses and an outhouse nearby. During the day the shelter is for all to use but you have to book it to stay overnight.
The most exciting part of this hike was probably the hare we saw in the parking lot ...
