We had finished the bike ride and we searched for a marker of a trail on an old logging block that we were told would be there. Our trusted source, Bob had been in here before and told us where to find the trail. Well we never did find the marker. Before we headed in to the trees I took a bearing on the butte with my compass “just incase”. We are both good bushwhackers but Jan is taller than I am and he has more length in his legs so sometimes he is hard to keep up with. We had been hiking for well over 2 hrs and we come to the edge of a little gem of a lake. Jan mumbles “It can’t be?”
“It can’t be, what?” I ask
“Fuck a wild man, it’s Dagger.” He curses.
“And that is a bad thing I take it?” I say
“We have been going away from the butte, not closer to it.” He states as he swats a mosquito from his sweaty forehead.
“I took a bearing when we left the cut block, we can use the compass to get back on course. I thought you knew where the hell you were going.” I say, as I pull the compass out of my pocket and hang it around my neck.
“I don’t trust a compass.” Jan states.
“I trust a compass more than I trust you right now.” I shoot back. “Look we can use the compass to get in the general area, we can’t even see the butte from here and we could be wandering these trails well past dark if we don’t get our asses over there soon.” I argue.
“Okay, okay. You made your point. Lead on Macduff.” He teases. Checking the compass frequently it takes us about an hour and a half to get to the base of the butte. We used some game trails, but mostly we bushwhacked. Our packs were about 60 lbs and some of the larger dead falls were a challenge for me to drag my crotch over, however after a testicle check, here and there I was sure I never left any hanging on any logs. The black lava cylinder rose out of the ground like a huge stump of a gargantuan tree. The black rock reached for the sky as it was made of pillars that were held together by touching each other to form a cylinder of cylinders. The rock jutted over 150 feet straight up from the forest floor towering over the trees. We walked around the base looking to find a good place to climb up the black wall. “Cock sucker, it is straight up.” Jan yells.
“What is the game plan, Jan?” I ask.
“How much rope did you bring?” Jan questions
Looking up I state “Not enough. We could climb and then pull the packs up part way and then climb some more.” I surmise.
“Screw that! Let’s just suck the packs on tight as they will go and climb up the face.” Jan blurts out.
“Are you nucking futs? We will blow a quad going up there with full packs.” I stammer while pointing to the sky.
With a big sigh Jan tries to convince me “Just look for hand holds and good resting spots we will be fine. If it is too hard we can do it your way with the rope. I don’t think it will be that bad.”
As we clamber up the black giant there are only two or three places that were difficult and by boosting and pulling each other we make our way to the top. Just as we get to the top the sun is setting on the plateau and we can see for miles. As I catch my breath and toss down my pack I can sense a weird energy at my feet and even though I have had one hell of a hike over rough terrain I feel energized. We set up the tent and make camp. I mix up some dinner and we observe the darkness closing in as the sun completely sets and the sky has a blue black hue to it that is darkest in the east and lightest in the west. The sky looks like a big dome closing as the blue fades to black.
We set the tent right on the edge of the cliff and make our beds. We sleep on thin foam pads and in sleeping bags on solid rock. I was thinking I would be killer stiff the next day but I woke up from one of the best sleeps I have had in a while and I am not sore or stiff and I am full of energy and ready to go again. I have heard that the First Nations Peoples talk of spiritual places and that there is energy in the ground. This is the first time I can say I have ever felt the earth’s energy. That night while I was sleeping I had a conscious awaking about earth spirit and energy fields produced by natural sources. This was a weekend trip, a one nighter I had no idea was to come.
We woke up and had a bite to eat as the sun came up. There was a good breeze blowing. Jan was having a good look at the lay of the land and was thinking aloud that there was a better route back than the one we took coming in. “No shit Sherlock, we don’t need any side trips to Dagger Lake this time.” I jest with him
Jan is pointing to the North as he tells me his plan. “I have been all over here with Bob, before they closed all the roads. See that fishing lodge over there? I know the guy running it. I think if we leave our gear here and make a B-line for the bikes we can ride the road to the lodge and then boat back, to the trail at the base of the butte.”
As I track his finger to the places he is pointing to and digest what he is telling me, I agree it is a good idea and I won’t have to drag my crotch over many fallen trees with his new found plan. We make our way to the bikes with out any gear in less than an hour and we are at the lodge before noon. Once at the lodge we hit a snag. The guy Jan knows will not let us have a boat as they are for guests only and he can’t afford to not have one available if a guest wants to go out. However he mentions that there is a perfectly good canoe hanging on a shed facing the lake and if it was to go missing for a couple hours he may not even notice as long as it was put back. I look at Jan and Jan looks at me as we salute our comrade and bolt for the canoe. Being sure to stay out of sight and using the shed for cover as we dash to the lake to launch the canoe.
Jan reminds me of how much he hates canoes. I suggest that he keep is paddle in the water and let me worry about the steering since I am in the stern and as long as he stays relaxed it will be fine. The trip across the lake is easy and peaceful. Once on shore, we make our way up to the tent on top of Skoatl and break camp. We load the packs and skedaddle down the face to the waiting canoe. I navigate the loaded canoe to the lodge on the sapphire blue lake, thoroughly enjoying the adventure to the max. We make it to the lodge and get our gear out of the boat and put the canoe back where we found it. We load the bikes and have an easy ride to the truck. That weekend we mountain biked, backpacked and canoed it was one of my best adventures that I will never forget. I was touched by something on top of that mountain and I am still on the journey to fully understand it all.