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The nicest weekend vacation I have had for many years was a January trip a couple years ago to a place called Stehekin,Washington. We had heard about this place for several years and finally decided to book the trip. There are no roads in to Stehekin so you can access it by either hiking in or riding a boat on Lake Chelan in eastern Washington state. This was the option we chose-especially since there was lots of snow and a long hike in through the back country would be out of the question. The boat leaves early in the morning so you need to be there early or you missed it. It only goes up there once.

Because it is a 2 hour drive from where we live plus a ferry involved, we decided to go to the area the night before and stay in one of our favorite towns to visit called Leavenworth. Leavenworth is a small Bavarian village in the mountains on Stevens Pass before you get to Wenatchee, Washington. This town, filled wit little gift shops, great restaurants, beautiful scenery is surrounded by mountains. We generally stay in the Enzian Inn when there and have their wonderful complimentary breakfast and listen to the fellow on the veranda playing his alpenhorn. You would think you were in Germany when visiting this village. They have managed to keep the entire business part of town with the Bavarian theme-even McDonalds.

We left Leavenworth early the next morning for the hour drive to the place where the Lady of the Lake boat leaves on Lake Chelan for Stehekin. It is a very beautiful boat trip up there. You see the snow capped mountains in the distance and the foot hills all around the lake. As we got further up the lake wild sheep herds were visible. How they can hang on to those steep cliffs is beyond me.

Finally we get to the dock at Stehekin. We get off the boat, check in to our cabin, and board a bus that takes you way out into the back country to cross country ski or snow shoe. The bus comes back about 4 hours later and by then, you are ready to get on the bus and head back to the cabin. 4 hours of snow shoeing or skiing in that cold but beautiful place is exhausting. After dinner, they offer a night time snow shoe trip where they take you out in the snow away from the camp and lead you on a long snowshoe trip. The white ground and the moonlight helps you see where you are going. Then you get to a spot where they have built a camp fire and you roast marshmallows and have hot spiced wine before boarding the bus and heading back to the cabins. After this first day, you are ready for a good nights sleep.

The next day you are taken out into the back country again for 4 hours to ski or snowshoe. It is so beautiful and flat out there. There is a beautiful waterfalls to see, an old school house that has many of the old books and desks for you to enjoy. There also is a very old cabin that is full of the furniture and tools that someone 75 years ago might have used.

That afternoon you board the Lady of the Lake and go back down Lake Chelan to the place you started. Hopefully you took lots of pictures because this is a trip you will never forget. It is one I plan to do again some day. The resources are on the Internet if you do a search on Stehekin.

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