Camping at Lake Kachess

One of our favorite pastimes as a family is to camp, hence why we made a pact last summer to do it as often as possible. We thought it was probably a little ambitious to camp only 3 weeks post-move, but with so many visitors coming this summer and traveling in August for my sister's wedding, we really didn't think we would have many other opportunities.

A few weekends ago, we decided to say, "Whatever, let's go!" And so we did. Lake Kachess is about an hour away from Maple Valley along the 90.  The upper part of the lake is called Little Kachess Lake. The Kachess River flows into the lake from the north, and out from the south. Kachess Lake is the middle of the three large lakes north of Interstate 90 and the Yakima River in the Cascade Range. It's big. It's beautiful. And it was all ours for a weekend.

Okay, not really ours. But it was definitely big and beautiful! Exiting the freeway, you make a turn over a little one lane bridge and you're thinking, hmmm...where is this headed. You start winding back on this small road where flashes of bright blue lake peek between the trees. 

We are lucky that our kids love to be outdoors - they love to get dirty, swim, fish, hike and play around. I'm glad, because I love it too. 

At Lake Kachess, there are several creeks and rivers that run into the lake and while you can't fish in them, you can definitely explore and enjoy the relaxing sound of the water running downstream!

We are also really fortunate to have an incredible companion pup. Before we adopted Bella from another family, she had spent the first 6 or 7 months of her life locked in a bathroom. She had no idea how to walk on a leash, would pee because she was so petrified of strangers and had never, ever been around another dog. She had no social skills. 

Now, she loves to camp and be outside, and one of her favorite things to do is to splash around in the water. She isn't afraid to scale rocks, explore and jump on in! We take her on every camping trip and hike we go on - she's been to the Sequoias, Yosemite, Big Sur and now all over Washington, to name a few. She even got skunked in Big Sur...now that was fun. NOT.

The cool thing about Lake Kachess is that you really feel like you've hidden yourself away in an undeveloped part of the world because there are so many coves and trails to spend your time. Sometimes you won't see another camper for a while depending on where you go. 

A girl's gotta have her coffee! You don't want to see or hear from me until at least after the fifth sip. 

Down the road just a little way is the trailhead of a long hike that leads to another lake, but supposedly it's pretty lengthy. We got about 1/4th of a mile in, but it started to drop on one side and I thought hmmmm, I would really rather not have my 3 year old lose his footing and get tossed off the edge. So, we turned around and hiked to the waterfall. 

Grizzlies!

Shocked and amazed by how clear the water is here. It comes right off of the glaciers so it is c-c-c-cold!

  

But it sure is beautiful!

I hiked to the top just for kicks. Hike isn't really the right word...I took like 30 steps and was there. Even the boys went up and had a great time looking at the falls from that angle.

My four favorites. My family.

Obviously red licorice is a nutritious and healthy camping staple!

Unfortunately we got totally skunked this time around, but when we went to Rattlesnake Lake a few weeks later, we caught quite a few! I'll blog about that another day. Very cool place. 

The first day we arrived, on Friday morning, it was so windy that the boys' boat rafts which were tied to a rope in my hand flew like a kite in the sky. Pretty ridiculous actually. We ended up exploring much more than usual, instead of our typical post-up-by-a-lake-and-read-all-day kind of trip. I loved it and surprisingly, Adrian didn't put up much of a fight.

Love this kid. And this view.

And I obviously also love this dirty-faced kiddo. They had so much fun playing in the mud. Yes, playing in the dirty, disgusting, lake water mud. Gabriel loved it so much he did mud angels. I have proof. 

By far, our favorite camping meal is corn on the cob, chili beans and hot dogs. A lot of times we will throw some asparagus or other veggie in, but this is our go-to. The other go-to is steak because MMMM. The entire state of Washington is under a burn ban right now, so it really came in handy to have our propane stove with us. It's the only way you can use fire in any of the parks; starting a fire in the pits can cost you up to $6,000, believe it or not! Our traditional s'mores certainly worth that, but that's when the stove comes in handy!

All in all, it was a great weekend and I would definitely return to that campground again. The only drawback were the toilets which were literally holes in the ground disguised by a tall toilet. But, I didn't have to poop in the woods, so I guess I'll take them?