My Tent Camping Gift
The most romantic gift I have ever received was a little piece of forest, where tent camping is possible, in the heart of the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. This gift was a work in progress that took over two years for my husband to acquire and present to me. When we first began dating, I wistfully told him one day that I always dreamed of having my very own campground somewhere in the mountains, where I could pitch a tent and have the place all to myself. We talked about yurts, too, and even went yurt shopping, but we didn’t feel that a yurt was worth the hassle and the expense. It always came back to desiring the simplicity of tent camping.
Looking for the perfect tent camping spot
Little did I know that over the next several months, and even after we got married, my husband conducted an exhaustive search of properties that he could possibly purchase to make my dream come true. Eventually, he started taking me out on property viewing dates. We went all over the state of Washington looking at various properties. None of them met my requirements. They were too expensive, surrounded by too many cabins, required a private boat or ferry to travel to, or littered with elk dung. Eventually, I fell in love with an area near Index, Washington, especially along the valley that followed the North Fork of the Skykomish River. We still had difficulty finding a piece of land that was affordable in that area, though.
One day, he mentioned a little piece of land he found that was up for auction north of Index, in a ghost town called Galena. By this time, I was weary of looking at properties. He took it upon himself to drive over a mountain pass called ‘Jack’s Pass’ during a snowstorm, at the risk of getting trapped in the mountains, to find this property. He came home safely, fortunately, and bragged about how he found this property that would be perfect for tent camping. The property was 25 feet by 100 feet. I had faith in his judgment and figured it wouldn’t hurt to participate in the auction, which started at a bid of $300.
Tent camping spot with a history…
We studied up on Galena. It was once a mining town that was established in the late 1800s by a man named John N. Scott. The town was located where Silver Creek joins the North Fork of the Skykomish River. This mining town became busy during the Gold Rush days, with a peak population of 110 citizens in 1910 and boasted of a hotel and its own printing press. The first weekly newspaper was printed in April of 1892. The town has since been abandoned, and there is absolutely no sign left that a human community ever existed there in the first place. Not only was I intrigued about having a lovely tent camping spot in the mountains, I also enjoyed the idea of the romantic mystery of the hardy, dream-seeking young men traversing up and down that mountainside during the Gold Rush days.
The auction for this property was held at the courthouse in Snohomish County, Washington. There were two lots being auctioned that day. One other man was there with a particular interest in trying to get a piece of property in the town of Lynnwood, Washington. Pete’s dad joined us to the auction because he wanted to see all the action. When they started bidding on the Galena property, the other man in the room perked up because he saw how interested we were in Galena. He kept outbidding us, and it was obvious he had no clue where this property even was. Fortunately, he gave up bidding at $900 and the property became ours. My husband’s dad was quite proud of his son for being the winner and a new property owner. Not long after our purchase in 2008, we were excited to hear the news that this area of the Cascades became declared a National Wilderness Area, called, ‘Wild Sky Wilderness Area’. That meant our property and the area surrounding it would always be protected and left in its natural state, without allowing human development projects coming in to scar the land.
When the snows melted the following spring after our purchase, we went out to our property in Galena, and he showed me where the property was. It was tricky trying to find out exactly where the boundaries were. There are no human landmarks up there to help locate things. His original estimate of the location ended up being incorrect. We spent hours looking over old plot maps and satellite photos to get the exact latitude and longitude. Then we also purchased a sophisticated GPS system designed for wilderness navigation. With our research and equipment, we were then able to locate our property boundaries. Our property is located on top of the hill above the babbling Silver Creek. The forest is dense, and because access is difficult due to recent river flooding, the area is full of wildlife, including bears and deer. Years ago, there was a road that miners traveled on with horses and carts; now it was only a barely discernible foot trail. At first, we weren’t sure if we could pitch a tent on our lot, since it was on a steep hillside that dropped off into a bluff. My husband saw the potential in a small flat section on our property, though, and he promised me I would someday have my little spot to go tent camping.
Over the next few months, he made several trips up to Galena to whack down bushes to help clear a spot large enough for two tents and a fire pit. By summer time, the property became tent camping worthy, and I was the happiest wife in the world because I had my very own tent camping spot in the most beautiful place on Earth. I immediately nominated my husband to be the Mayor of Galena, and he still holds that position to this day. We concluded that a tent was more fun than a yurt after all. When we go camping, we are completely isolated with the creek, the trees, and the animals. Not another human soul is around. No RVs, no radios, no cell phones, just our family enjoying Nature all to ourselves. What else can I ask for? This is the most romantic gift I’ve ever received – my very own tent camping spot.