It’s your turn, Isaac. Run with it!

My third hike to spectacular Spider Meadow in the central Cascades, which turned out to be a passing of the baton to my grandson, Isaac Richardson

Looking down at the U-shaped valley that frames Spider Meadow, with Phelps Ridge, Mount Maude and Seven-Fingered Jack in the background (Photo by Rick Lund)

It was supposed to be a story about backpacking in the era of COVID-19. At least that’s how I originally pitched it to an editor at The Seattle Times in the summer of 2020. There was only one problem: No official at the Wenatchee Ranger Station, which oversees the trail to Spider Meadow, wanted to talk to me.

Rick Lund and Issac Richardson
(Photo by Peter Richardson)

And that was a bit unusual, because PR folks at the U.S. Forest Service have always been cooperative when I’ve asked follow-up questions for backpacking stories. But as I would surmise later, it wasn’t that they didn’t want to talk about backpacking safety in the mountains during the pandemic. Rather, it was they didn’t want to talk about Spider Meadow — already a widely-popular trail — and my story that would run online and in the printed Sunday Seattle Times in mid-August was about to make the situation worse.

So I pivoted to another angle, which was really the reason I planned this hike in the first place: The opportunity to hike with my longtime friend and hiking partner Bob Swenson, my son-in-law, Peter Richardson, and his 8-year-old son, Isaac, in what would be his backpacking debut. Peter’s friend, Karl Olson, and his 8-year-old daughter, Juniper, joined us for the three-day trek.

The trip would be an overnight (make that two) success. Any fears that Isaac or Juniper weren’t tough enough to carry a backpack up a steepening trail were quickly erased on the first day. We had perfect weather all three days, interesting conversations along the trail (one of my favorite aspects of backpacking) and a great time.

My first of three trips to Meadow Spider was in 2007 with my youngest daughter, Greta. So our recent trek there represented a passing-of-the-next-generation-torch to my grandson, Isaac, who I am very confident will become a backpacking enthusiast. It was an experience I’ll certainly never forget. And I don’t think Isaac will either. I hope for him it was the first of many backpacking adventures.

Spider Meadow numbers
	Miles from trailhead	Elevation
Phelps Creek trailhead		3,500 feet
Spider Meadow	4.5	4,900 feet
Spider Gap	7.5	7,400 feet
Source: Wenatchee Ranger station