At some point, even the best planner makes a mistake, and heavens know I am a far cry from the best planner. So it is with poor planning that I find out, three days from my expected departure, that the Olympic National Forest Sol Duc/Seven Lakes/High Divide area has limits on camping permits. And, naturally, they’re out of them. Sigh.

With only one other person on the trip, whose schedule is flexible, at least I have the luxury of replanning. It’s always tough to replan, atthe last minute, when the original plans are exactly where you wanted to go, but it’s not like there’s a dirth of options!

I just must remember to check on these things earlier.

I have, however, been doing a great jobs preparing all my dehydrated foods. The trip might not happen as planned, but there will be food!

Hike-a-thon is three weeks away, and I am woefully under-prepared.

I don’t have my hikes all planned out. I haven’t been training for three months. I don’t even have backpacking food drying out in the dehydrator! (Ok, ok… perhaps I’m being a bit silly.)

But, plans are starting to come together.

At least two backpacking trips are on the table: 1) Deception Pass (the one in the Central Cascades, not on Whidbey Island) and 2) Dutch Miller Gap (a repeat, but that was an awesome trip!). Ptarmagin Ridge is in the plans as well, and maybe Lake Elenor (Mt. Rainier).

And then the day trips. I think gas costs will keep me close to home, but that’s ok. Perhaps this is the year I’ll do the whole traverse of Tiger Mountain – something like 30 miles, if I remember correctly.