Amy had left early and the girls slept late so we didn't leave the house until just before 11am. That's a far cry from my usual departure time for a hike, which is usually around 7am or earlier. I wasn't complaining, though, since the opportunity to sleep is rare at our house.
Getting on the trail we were even later because I drove past the trailhead. It's supposed to be a loop with the Middle Fork road providing the close of the loop, but I never did see the upstream entry. However, the stream crossing the road was a dead giveaway so I turned around and found the trailhead hiding behind a truck. Looks like we wouldn't be alone after all.
It must have been a long time since this was a maintained road. All that was left was an overgrown trail bursting with salmonberries and mud holes. Clara was able to bend over and sneak under most of the brush, but with Lilly on my back I had to push straight through. As much as I tried, Lilly got the occasional slap, though were no lasting marks so I dodged a bullet there.
In no time we were at the lake and I was quick to think, "Dang. It's a good thing we didn't come here with Amy's parents." Oxbow Lake was the original destination for a trip that wound up at Lipsy Lake and Otter Falls. This lake was more a mud hole than a lake. Though long and with some average views, the shore was slick with goo and the water was nasty enough that Tokul stayed on leash.
We ate lunch while pondering what to do. After studying the map with Clara it looked like the road wound around the lake and came very close to the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie, which would be a lot more fun. So back up to the trail we climbed and onward.
The road/trail alternated between heavy growths of salmonberries and open, more mature forest. As the road curved around we could hear the river rumbling just to the southeast of us. When we found some flags and a path into the ferns it was too much for us so we followed. Unfortunately, the flags ended at a high bluff that I would have readily scrambled down without kids, but it was completely infeasible with one, let alone two.
No big deal, though, since a short distance down the road we found a much lower bank and a big sandbar covered with rocks. Tokul immediately dove into the river to cool off. As we were taking off Clara's boots so she could get into the river a couple of kayakers and a raft came by. Both girls waved and got waves in return, but quickly forgot the boaters as they passed downstream.
Both girls played with rocks. Clara has always loved making big splashes so she went after the biggest rocks. Lilly stuck with smaller rocks, but tended to move them toward her mouth before a reprimand rather than tossing them into the river.
It was getting late and I feared missing the nap window so we packed up and scrambled up the bank to the trail. Somewhere both Clara and I found stinging nettles. I saw so many on the way home I was surprised we weren't both blistered on the way in. She took it well, but mostly because she was stuffed full of salmonberries. We'd take a few steps and she'd point at another juicy red berry. (She knows she's not allowed to pick her own berries, but still loves them so I'm now her berry hookup.)
We cruised past the lake without much of a look. Although it had taken us an hour and a half to get to the lake, eat lunch, and find the river it took only 20 minutes to get back to the car. Both girls were near sleep for the 20 minute drive home, but with a combination of singing, whistling, and tickling they were both awake long enough to get them into bed for proper naps.
Total manly stats are 1.3 miles and 110 feet of gain.
