Crescent Crescendo

Hurray for trust and strong little legs!  For topo maps, ranger reports, and good friends in willingness to adventure.You start Crescent Creek Trail weaving among the trees and mountain bikers,some of who leave a wake of dead baby chicks, surprised by the appearance and speed of these two-wheeled travelers.  The kids held a short funeral service.There are a few spots that demanded a quick safety talk with the kids.  But!  We got to see the most amazing white water mother duck and chicks rafting across the rapids (they’re not in the picture!).The climb is not too steep but it builds, lulls, builds and then—

CYMBAL CRASH!!!  You step into the meadows.Steeped in lush greenery and snow speckled peaks, this is truly a varied saunter.Still below treeline, the wood wind whistles through the bough strings, and plays to the drumming of your heart.

Just as the kids were wondering a question so unique, creative and utterly uncommon that we halted in astonishment to give it our full, heady attention:

“How much farther?”

We were saved by a float plane, which loaded us all up, flew us to the campsite and let us rest our weary legs.Would have been nice right?  When you’ve been annoyed by that question for the past mile and are actually hungry too, wondering if you really did give your kids the last of the daily allotment of jerky while realizing that they didn’t even appreciate it and you really, really, really would have.  But as the float planes began zipping by, the brain cloud lifted and we yelped, realizing the lake must be close!  It was closer than we expected.The rains had produced some flooding, but everyone had fun balancing over the teeter-tottered ladder with our large backpacks.And we did set up camp after all.It rained the second day at camp, so we decided to raftand swim,And the next day we woke to placid waters.There are two good campsites when you branch to the left after the bridge, past the cabin.  One is before the box toilet and the other is after.  We claimed the first as it is much more open and had more potential sites.  The second is under the trees, but closer to the toilet.There were float planes to be hailed,and float planes to be cheered,and float planes to be watched studiously.  Seriously, Crescent Lake draws mountain bikers and float pilots like honey to bees…or bees to honey, regardless, the kids went running every time we heard the hum from the wing section.We hiked back across the river and around the corner to check out the camping on the other side of the lake.The spot was farther from shore and for some reason the bugs were atrocious.  But the view was still lovely, and there is a bear box.With rafting and swimming, and hammocking and climbing,  and eating and eating there is always so much to do in the woods.Around midnight.

And after two nights, we rolled out past the flooded creek, through the symphonic meadows,across the throbbing river (she’s not mine),dipped into those woods spaced by nodding wildflowers (metronome and sundial in one)

made a new friend, Chacolita,had another safety talk in which some eyeballs might have rolled and subsequently been yelled, ahem, talked sternly to, about possible, dire circumstances (not mine again, of course).and back down, weaving through the trees.  Symphony of summer, crescendo me to Crescent one more time please?