Eagle Creek — Saturday, Jun. 17, 2017

We originally had planned to hike the loop around Tanner Butte with two nights camping. We hiked up eagle creek, past the hordes of people (it was a sunny Saturday). It was absolutely gorgeous. The trail was wet and muddy in places because it rained the night before. Past the cutoff for Whatum Lake, we continued on toward Tanner Butte. The stream crossings we manageable. The trail was somewhat overgrown with several downed trees, but the best part was we didn't see a soul! Once we reached Eagle Creek again, it became apparent we would have to either ford the river or bushwhack down to a beaver dam to cross. Neither seemed appealing at that point so we called it a night and camped in a beautiful sight right by the river. A few people came through that night and in the morning from Tanner Butte and after we were entertained by their fording abilities, they mostly reported that the rest of the trail was "brutal" and "needed maintenance". So we made the call to go back the way we came past the water falls and had a great time going down. It was so warm out we stopped and iced our feet in the steam for a while--felt sooo good! Over all one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Being from dry central Washington, it seemed like a different world.