Busman's Holiday

Day 281: It's been years since I hiked in to Packwood Lake, and I'd been thinking it needed a patrol for invasives, so I got my gear together Wednesday night, ready to hit the trail in the cool of the morning. I arrived at the trailhead at 8:30, and there was just enough chill in the air to leave my fingers feeling tingly, i.e., perfect hiking conditions as far as I'm concerned. The trail gains a little over 1500' in 4.5 miles, so gentle that in my definition that it might as well be called "flat." Add to that the fact that for the most part it is hard-packed soil with very few rocks or roots to trip over, and you have an easy, pleasant hike with a lovely reward at the end.

Or do you? I arrived at the lake in just under two hours, even though I'd stopped to take pictures on the way. I definitely did not feel like I was "halfway,"my customary criterion for turning back toward home. I eyeballed the far end...never been to the far end...looks like maybe a mile? US Forest Service is notorious for not posting distances, only nasty warnings saying that even day-use hikers must have a free permit (self-registration) or face a $100 fine. Permit? NOW you tell me I need a permit when I'm 4.5 miles in? There had been nothing at the #78 trailhead, but the #78 trailhead is not situated in wilderness. I had the feeling I'd missed something, so when two hikers came by going the other way, I asked them how the system was employed. They told me the box with the permits was further up the trail.

In hindsight, if I'd shot a waypoint to the far end, I probably would have turned around there and found some other way to fill the rest of my afternoon. As it was, I set off merrily pointed at the south end of the lake and expecting to arrive there after a little more than a mile. After twenty minutes or so, I found the permit box, but the end of the lake didn't seem as close as I felt it might have done. However, the feeling that I'd now fulfilled my legal obligation by filling out the permit and attaching it to my pack, I was determined to go the distance, however far it might be. Approximately 2.5 trail miles from the north end, I arrived at my goal. My proposed 9-mile hike had turned into a 14-miler. That's typical of Crow-style hiking: go until you're "halfway," take a five-minute break and start back.

The boggy south end yielded up a surprise: Myosotis, aka forget-me-nots, my invasive "score" for the day. At least I'd found something besides a couple of thistles. On my way back, a woman camper from California stopped to talk, curious about what I was so intent on photographing on the end of a log (a future post...patience, Grasshoppers!), and when she found out I'd been looking for invasives, she told me she thought she'd seen a small piece of Poison Oak. She continued back toward her camp, but was only gone for a few minutes, returning with the news that she'd re-found the plant and asked me to take a look. It wasn't typical of the species and I didn't feel confident in making a determination, but definitely sported the dreaded "leaves of three." I took photos and coordinates and have sent the image off to get a second opinion. It would be very unusual to see it this far inland in Washington, and especially at an altitude of almost 3000'.

When I got back to the north end of the lake, I took a somewhat longer break to dangle my feet in that wonderfully chilly water before starting the final 4.5 mile plod back to the car. What do rangers do when they're not working? Hike, of course! My "busman's holiday" was delightful, and now I know what's it's like on the farthest shore.

UPDATE: mystery plant confirmed as Toxicodendron diversilobum. I have never seen it at this altitude west of the Cascade Crest. That said, it is native to the state and therefore not considered invasive.