Pack Forest Hike

• Washington Our Home
• July 7, 2010
• Western Washington
• 3
• 1019

Since non-union state employees haven’t received any pay increases in almost two years, my wife and I decided to forgo the traditional anniversary gifts and cards to each other. We celebrated our seven-year anniversary on Monday (July 5th) the same as any other day…Parker woke us up around five in the morning, and yours truly spent the rest of the early morning on the couch as he watched Handy Manny.

Later in the morning, I asked Kelly to watch Parker for about an hour while I put together a tribute slide show for Kelly with pictures of our wedding and honeymoon. After a few tears, we took showers and Parker ate lunch and took a nap.

It was Kelly who had the idea to go for a hike that day. It was gray and overcast, but not terribly cold and not at all wet. While Parker slept, I did some quick research online for good hikes within acceptable driving distance that catered to both kids and dogs. Turns out, not many fit all that criteria.

One thing I avoided was any hike in Mt. Rainier National Park. Not only are dogs not welcome on trails, but it costs $15 bucks just to get in the gate! I learned that on a previous jaunt to Mt. Rainier with Parker.

As it turns out, there is one area which is outside the park, has lots of trails varying in intensity and skill level, and is good for both kids and dogs. Da-da-da-DAH!…Pack Forest.

Named for conservationist and east coast lumberman Charles Lathrop Pack, who in 1926 bequeathed a cash gift to the UW’s College of Forest Resources (now the School of Forest Resources), enabling the purchase of an initial 334 acres of forestland to be used for research and demonstration purposes. Today, Charles L. Pack Experimental Forest encompasses 4,300 acres of working forestland.

While Pack Forest provides a field location for faculty, staff and students from the University of Washington’s School of Forest Resources to teach, study, conduct research, and demonstrate modern forest management, it also provides opportunities for the public to hike, bike, horseback ride, stroll or roll along a barrier-free self guided trail, or hunt during hunting season.

So as Parker slept, daddy gathered supplies and equipment (including several bags of beef jerky and dried fruit we had made the day before with our new dehydrator). We also brought the essential toddler gear (diapers, wipes, etc.), a Camelbak with three liters of drinking water, lots of layers of clothing, Parker’s hiking backpack, our handheld GPS, and dog supplies.

After he woke up, we hit the road…traveling through Yelm, McKenna and La Grande, which is just past the forest entrance. Although the directions to the forest entrance were clear, navigating to the trailhead was not. Fortunately, we ran into a few other hikers with kids, and they had a trail guide they gave us.

With map in hand, we chose our hike, loaded up and set off! It was supposed to be a short two-mile trip but we missed a fork in the trail and ended up walking about three or three and a half miles instead. Plus, just after we set out (dressed in our cold and wet weather gear) the sun broke through and the temperature began rising. Great for the views, not so great for somebody in a long-sleeve flannel shirt and goose down vest with a 30 pound toddler on his back.

Still, we had a great anniversary hike. We even ran into another hiker who had two blue heeler dogs with her. What are the odds that hiking with your blue heeler, you’d run into another hiker with two blue heelers? In hindsight, we should have gotten pictures with the three dogs! Anyway, enjoy these pics and visit Pack Forest when you’re in the mood for a good day hike.