Last Friday was our 19th wedding anniversary and to our mutual surprise, my wife and I both wanted to take the Kingfisher up Lake Chelan to Stehekin. I hadn’t been to Stehekin since I lived in Chelan in the 90s, and my wife Eileen couldn’t recall when she had been to this small settlement at the very top end of the big lake. We launched the boat at the 25 Mile Creek Campground, and I was able to maintain a speed of close to 40 miles an hour as there was just a light chop on the water. It took us less than an hour to reach the moorage. We both knew that a visit to Stehekin isn’t complete without going to the bakery for a lunch or other treat. It is about a two mile walk and there is a free shuttle from the landing. We chose to walk and got to see a fawn still in spots and a grouse run across the road. We both got a cinnamon roll, that was amazingly good at the bakery, and then took the shuttle back to the boat. I just happened to bring a couple of rods along, and we trolled for about an hour for Chinook, but no bites. There was a little more wind and more chop on the way back, but it still took less than an hour to reach 25 Mile Creek. It was a beautiful trip and a great way to celebrate our years together.
This is the view of the glaciers you see as you approach Stehekin at the top of Lake Chelan.