The original plan was to leave around 230pm on Friday afternoon so that we would arrive in Verlot by 330pm, which was 30 minutes before the allowable time to check-in for a first come spots. The day got busy and packing took longer than expected so we didn't leave the house until after 5pm. We were still optimistic seeing that the weather wasn't great and hopeful that other people would abandon any camping plans. We arrive at the campsite shortly after 630pm to find that every spot was filled. There was a campground right next to the Verlot location and they were full as well.
New plan......we would continue to head east on the Mountain Loop Hwy and we would surely find another campsite with an available spot. This never happened! Matt knew that the highway dropped out in Darrington so we continued and found that the "hwy" turned into a 2 lane gravel road for the majority of the trip. We finally arrived in Darrington after 8pm and grabbed dinner at a little burger joint. We debated over the choice to drive to Camano Island and try the state park or just to head home.
We decided to continue on because surely there were would be a spot at a campground that has over 100 spots that are all first come first serve. The route allowed us to view the Oso slide area and we all had a moment of silence as we drove by.
We drove more than an hour to arrive at the state park at 10pm and found that it was full. Matt remained composed as we drove back home and arrive after 6 hours of driving at 11pm. We left the truck packed and headed to bed. I heard the rain coming down during the night and because we didn't have a cover on the truck I knew that everything would probably be soaked.
I woke up bright and early the next morning determined to find a camping location.
Side note: We were planning to meet with the Owens family so finding 2 spots was necessary.
I researched campgrounds and learned quite a bit about dispersed (boondocker) camping which means there is no campground or amenities, it's just a spot. I called around and got in touch with a ranger in the Skykomish area. He was confident that we would find a spot, again because the weather wasn't great.
We loaded up and headed to Skykomish! The Beckler River campground was full, which was expected, so we continued driving into the area that the ranger had described where we would find disbursed sites. After driving for over 1 hour I had lost all hope. Frustration was evident and we were ready to make the drive back home. Matt decided to drive down just 1 more road before leaving. He suddenly stopped at a location that didn't look at all like a spot where 1 tent, much less multiple tents, could be pitched. He hopped out and went up and over a hill. After only a moment he waived me out of the truck and after walking over to the site I burst into tears! It was the perfect spot with plenty of space for us and the Owens! I thought that all hope was lost and we ended up with a beautiful spot right on the river.
The Owens arrived later in the afternoon and we had a great time! It was only 1 night of camping but we made the best of it. The kids enjoyed playing in the river and exploring the area. The dogs could roam without worry because we had plenty of privacy and we weren't right next to other campers.
We've decided that this is our getaway spot and would be a perfect location during the week if we want to camp without reservations.
I have learned my lesson.......we won't go over the weekend without reservations ever again!!
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