Chamberlain Basin 2017 Day 1

Made it to the Big Creek trailhead parking lot. Time to head out. 

Crossing Smith Creek on the road. 

The start of our epic journey.
 

We always fill out the registration cards. It helps keep our wilderness areas funded when they know how many people use them. 

"River of No Return Wilderness" has got to be the best name ever. 

The trail starts out nice and wide. 

But it gets narrow not too far in. I stayed close, but also ahead, of Ambrose for this day's hike. 

There were so many trees fallen on this slope; Ambrose thinks it was from an avalanche. 

Flowers in bloom. 

Our campsite is getting closer. Just 3 miles today, which is why we didn't start until after lunch.

I did not step on this spider. I just wanted its picture, but it kept moving away when I stepped in closer. 

Alas, the thimbleberries are not ripe in July. 

I remembered this part from last year. So close to being able to sit down and relax. Well, relatively relax, there was still camp to set up after all. 

Here's the path to where we camped last year. This year we were going to try the other site. 

The theme of logs continued at the meeting of Big Creek and Beaver Creek. 

I was glad, I am glad, there is a bridge over Beaver Creek. 

Posing for the camera. 

I'm surprised there wasn't flooding with all those logs jammed up. 

Chamberlain, yay!

This campsite was okay. There was some trash on the ground and that was yucky, but it had logs for sitting and a flat spot for the tent, so it performed adequately. 

It also featured this large mushroom.