The Backway to Grand Park... When Things Go Wrong...

So... You'd think this is going to be some grand trip report of alpine meadows and remote fly fishing along a quiet lake in the middle of nowhere... You'd be mistaken if you thought so, as was I... The plan was to hit up Grand Park at Mt Rainier NP via the back way through the Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Which is a shorter trail and encompasses a lot less mileage and elevation gain and loss. You also have to pass Lake Eleanor on the way in, which is a serene lake in a high subalpine setting. We were going to have lunch at Grand Park and then head back for an hour or 2 of fishing at lake Eleanor with some dinner. As we were mosying on down the logging road we finally reached a long section of up hill on a fairly steep grade not too far from the trailhead... When all of a sudden HD's Suburban just died... After some inspection the ECM-B fuse kept popping and without a wire diagram or tools we were S.O.L.. HD backed down the hill to the bridge below the climb, while Sarbar and I hiked up the logging road a ways to try and get a signal to make a call... I had to climb up the road's precarious embankment several times till I finally found a rock to perch on and get a faint signal to call out... After making a call out, we headed down the long downhill to the bottom of the hill where HD had safely gotten the truck down the hill.

The less precarious rock up the road embankment that I finally was able to get a call out on...

Huckleberry Creek down by where we left the truck...

Sarbar and HD roadwalking...

Jaws the local Hobo... Carrying the bread sack for lunch and wandering down the logging road.
We put a plan together to hike out and try to get the assistance of one of the police officers that we saw at the police convention alongside the logging road. There was 10+ Pierce County Sheriffs SUV's alongside the logging road to include 2 trailers for ATV's... We reached the odd ball assortment of police vehicles and sat around for a few minutes hoping that someone there could eventually give us a hand. We didn't go off looking in the woods for the police officers since who knows whether they had found a body, were searching for someone or were just doing some training. A few minutes went by and a lone sheriff came along the road... HD explained the situation and the sheriff was kind enough to tow the rig to the highway where Sarbar's AAA could tow his vehicle home. We found out that it was just a SAR's training mission that was going on with all the police cars.

HD getting pulled down the logging road by the police.


Finalizing the plans and this is where HD and I piled into the wrecker.

When we reached highway 410, we still did not have cell phone service, so we piled into the back of the sheriff's SUV who was kind enough to drive us down to the Greenwater General Store where we could use the pay phone. Sarbar called AAA, and we preceded to wait around for the tow truck... After the truck arrived, we parted with Sarbar and I got to ride without a seatbelt for 100 miles to Poulsbo, WA... Where HD's Suburban was dropped off at the shop. After the suburban was squared away HD drove me back to Purdy where my truck was parked and I headed home.
It was a long and adventurous day, where we had no idea something so crummy would end up so well.

Thank You Pierce County Sheriff Dept/University Place Police Dept!