Basic Backpacking Field Trip - Thunder Creek

The rain and thunderstorm forecast kept shifting in the days leading up to the trip, but Thunder Creek delivered an outstanding experience for our Basic Backpacking field trip.

It's an easy 1.5 miles hike to Thunder Camp, where we had reserved the group site. After setting up camp and eating lunch, part of our group headed up with light packs towards Fourth of July Pass, where they got peek-a-boo sights of nearby high peaks. The rest of our group did a hike further up the Thunder Creek valley, where they encountered gorgeous, mossy old-growth forest and lots of beautiful flowers. 

It rained just enough during the trip and throughout the night that everyone got good practice keeping their stuff dry and packing up a wet tent; but not so much rain that it would be dangerous or even concerning. Since it's early season and Colonial Campground had not yet opened to car campers, we had the place virtually to ourselves; a very special experience in what's usually a popular area of the North Cascades!